Why the 2026 Awards Season Is So Exciting for Black People

As crazy as it may be to believe, the 2026 awards season is slowly but surely coming to an end. But before it wraps, we’ve got to be honest in our assessment and say that this has been quite a phenomenal run for Black TV shows and movies.

In particular, with the overwhelming cultural force that is “Sinners,” the talented onscreen prowess of Black women taking centerstage, and some truly iconic Blackity-black moments taking place over the last several months—this year’s roster of talent and projects from film to television to music has made for a truly remarkable awards point in time. And with the 2026 NAACP Image Awards, the Actor Awards (f.k.a. the SAG Awards) happening back to back to close out February and welcome in March, respectively, and then the Oscars on March 15—let’s take a quick look back on some of this seasons best and Blackest moments.

Black Women Showing Out

If you’ve been paying any attention to any of the major front-runner films like “One Battle After Another” or “Sinners,” then you’ve seen respective stars Teyana Taylor and Wunmi Mosaku frequently mentioned in conversations when it comes to the Best Supporting Actress categories. Both ladies have already amassed huge accolades including first-time Oscar nominations for each of their roles. Mosaku has racked up an NAACP Image Award win and a BAFTA Award win for her portrayal as “Annie” in the film while Taylor has secured a Golden Globe win for her “OBAA” role and an NAACP Image Award for her role in “Straw.”

What’s more is that both ladies have graced the covers of popular magazines such as New York Magazine, TIME Magazine, Bust Magazine, ELLE, Vanity Fair, W Mag and more—putting the beauty and brilliance of Black women front and center for everyone to see outside of the theater. (Honorable mentions also have to go to Chase Infiniti, Regina Hall, the ladies of “Abbott Elementary” and more, too.)

“Sinners” Making History & Cultural Impact

Despite the other thing that happened at the 2026 BAFTAs, one of the major headlines that came out of that night and shouldn’t be overlooked was the fact that “Sinners” director Ryan Coogler made history as the first Black person to ever win the award for Best Original Screenplay. His acceptance speech, much like the variety of others he’s given throughout this season was moving and yet another notch in the “Sinners” belt.

And by notch we mean win as Coogler/”Sinners” has taken home wins and honors from the African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA), the Grammys, the Critics’ Choice Celebration of Black Cinema and Television, Golden Globes, Gotham Awards, Critics’ Choice and more.

If that wasn’t enough, the film racked up a whopping 16 nominations for this year’s Oscars race, making history as the most nominated film in the institution’s history. And as the icing on the cake, due to the film’s intentionality of portraying Black life, love, ambition, resilience, history, future and music and more—”Sinners” has cemented itself in the cultural canon among Black viewers who view it as yet another stellar piece of cinematic representation that does justice to both the art of filmmaking and the magnitude and glory of Black existence.

Long Overdue Nominations and Joyous Wins

Another reason why this awards season feels like it has a little extra melanin sprinkled all up and throughout it is due to the plethora of nominees who are finally getting their recognition after years in the game. And no one is a better representation of that than Delroy Lindo who, after over 50 years in Hollywood and numerous critically acclaimed projects finally secured his first Oscar nomination for his role in “Sinners.” The feat cannot be overstated by longtime fans, his collaborators or even by Lindo himself—but the fact that we’re all witnesses to this amazing moment for this insanely talented actor already feels like a win itself.

Let’s also not forget the amount of first-time nominees this season has brought us in the form of: “Sinners” star Michael B. Jordan (who’s up for Best Actor at the Oscars and has racked up several other wins and noms); “Severance” star Tramell Tillman who made history as the first Black man to ever win for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series at the Emmys; and Kendrick Lamar who once again proved he has hip-hop on lock by taking home the award for Record of the Year at the 2026 Grammys.

Even though the culmination of the season is a few weeks away, we’d be remiss if we didn’t acknowledge and celebrate how damn good of a job Black artists have done and be grateful for the fact that their getting their just dues for their contributions to the arts in every medium. Rooting for everybody Black never looked so good!