Ap photo gallery: Sinners dominates final night of the 57th NAACP Image Awards
— Stars gathered in Pasadena on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, for the fourth and final night of the 57th NAACP Image Awards, a four-night event where Sinners led the field and walked away with multiple top honors.
photo gallery and ceremony highlights
The night at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium near Los Angeles featured a photo gallery curated by photo editors and a packed program of awards and tributes on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. Viola Davis accepted the NAACP’s Chairman's Award and opened her remarks with: "There is no becoming without healing and without a radical acceptance of one’s truth, " adding, "We either move forward together or not at all. " Davis, 60, reflected on growing up in childhood poverty in Rhode Island and said, "I just wanted to be somebody. I wanted success because I thought it was significance. " She also said, "No one can describe the journey of going from the little chocolate girl searching for hope, to the girl living a transcendent life. "
Sinners swept major film awards
Director Ryan Coogler’s Oscar-nominated blockbuster Sinners, which entered the four-night event with 18 nominations, dominated the fourth and final night and won Outstanding Motion Picture. Sinners had already claimed eight awards during the NAACP Creative ceremonies earlier in the week, including wins for Coogler for Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture and Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture, and the film’s key actors took the Outstanding Ensemble in a Motion Picture award.
Michael B. Jordan’s wins and tributes
Michael B. Jordan won Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture for his dual performance as twin brothers in Sinners and capped the night as Entertainer of the Year, beating nominees Cynthia Erivo, Doechii, Kendrick Lamar and Teyana Taylor; last year’s Entertainer of the Year was Keke Palmer. During his acceptance speech Jordan became emotional while acknowledging late actor Chadwick Boseman: "My best friend, Chad … I miss you every day, " and he thanked his family and viewers in his hometown of Newark, New Jersey, urging them to pursue goals with humility and compassion. Miles Caton won Outstanding Breakthrough Performance in a Motion Picture.
Supporting honors and winners listed
Delroy Lindo won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture and Wunmi Mosaku won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture. The awards night included winner listings that named Sinners (Warner Bros. Pictures) as a winner and Michael B. Jordan for Sinners as a winner; Cynthia Erivo won for Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures); other nominees included André Holland for Love, Brooklyn (Greenwich Entertainment), Denzel Washington for Highest 2 Lowest (A24), Nnamdi Asomugha for The Knife (Relatively Media), Tyriq Withers for HIM (Monkeypaw Productions), Danielle Deadwyler for 40 Acres (Magnolia Pictures) and Keke Palmer for One of Them Days (Sony Pictures Releasing).
Host, Hall of Fame and opening monologue
Comedy star Deon Cole hosted the ceremony at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium and opened with sharp political humor that included a censored jab referencing immigration enforcement and a nod to the recent disruption involving Jordan and Delroy Lindo at the British Academy Film Awards. Cole joked about removing anything associated with "ICE" from the guest list and shifted into a comedic prayer segment. Hip-hop trailblazers Salt-N-Pepa — Cheryl "Salt" James, Sandra "Pepa" Denton and DJ Spinderella (Deidra Muriel Roper) — were inducted into the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame and reflected on their legacy and influence; Spinderella said, "We didn’t know we were building a movement. " The trio rose to prominence in the late 1980s and 1990s with hits including "Push It, " "Shoop" and "Whatta Man. "
Other weekend notes in the gallery
The broader photo roundup also captured a variety of other weekend moments: Jack Hughes, Quinn Hughes, Megan Keller and Hilary Knight continued a post-Olympic victory lap at 30 Rock; Arman Tsarukyan "brought a little too much MMA" to a wrestling event on Saturday; and Saturday’s WWE Elimination Chamber event in Chicago included big wins by Randy Orton and Rhea Ripley and big reveals from Seth Rollins and Danhausen — a show that one write-up said "played out like a show written with one sole goal in mind — and not in a good way. " The roundup touched on puzzles and sports: a Wordle hint and answer feature, a note that "No one ever said you needed a hit to win a softball game, " and a collection of college and pro updates that included the Jets leaving the combine with five first-round picks in 2026 and 2027, the Red Raiders winning their third straight game since losing star JT Toppin for the season, Darryn Peterson sparking a run that cut Kansas’s deficit to two points in the second half before the Wildcats staged another run, and Brandon Miller scoring 26 in Charlotte’s victory as the Hornets reached 16 wins in their past 20 games.
The four-night NAACP Image Awards run concluded on Saturday in Pasadena; the NAACP Creative ceremonies had taken place earlier in the week. What comes next is unclear in the provided context.
