Ap gallery and winners: Sinners, Michael B. Jordan and Viola Davis headline 57th NAACP Image Awards

Stars gathered in Pasadena for the final night of the 57th NAACP Image Awards, and an photo gallery captures the evening in which Ryan Coogler’s Sinners led the field. The ceremony’s winners, speeches and moments matter now because Sinners dominated the four‑night event and key figures from film and music were honored as the awards season neared its close.

Viola Davis accepts Chairman’s Award at Pasadena Civic Auditorium

Viola Davis accepted the NAACP’s Chairman’s Award on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium near Los Angeles. Davis, 60, delivered a speech about self‑worth, resilience and collective progress, saying, “There is no becoming without healing and without a radical acceptance of one’s truth” and adding, “We either move forward together or not at all. ”

She reflected on a journey from childhood poverty in Rhode Island to international success, saying, “I just wanted to be somebody. I wanted success because I thought it was significance, ” and added, “No one can describe the journey of going from the little chocolate girl searching for hope, to the girl living a transcendent life. ” Davis’s career highlights referenced in the ceremony include roles in The Help, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and Doubt, and television work on How to Get Away With Murder; she has earned a Grammy for the audiobook version of her memoir Finding Me, two Tonys, an Emmy and an Academy Award for the film adaptation of Fences, completing EGOT status.

Michael B. Jordan and Sinners dominate the final night in Los Angeles

Director Ryan Coogler’s Oscar‑nominated blockbuster Sinners dominated the fourth and final night, capping a run that began with the film leading the event with 18 nominations for the four‑night awards. Sinners won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Motion Picture, and Michael B. Jordan won Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture for his dual performance as twin brothers in Sinners.

Jordan also took home the Entertainer of the Year honor; he became emotional onstage while acknowledging his late friend and Black Panther co‑star Chadwick Boseman, saying, “My best friend, Chad … I miss you every day, ” and thanking his family and his community in Newark, New Jersey. Miles Caton won Outstanding Breakthrough Performance in a Motion Picture for Sinners’ breakout work.

Sinners’ creative team and supporting wins from NAACP Creative ceremonies

Sinners won eight awards during the NAACP Creative ceremonies held earlier in the week. Ryan Coogler won for Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture and Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture, and the film’s key actors won Outstanding Ensemble in a Motion Picture. Delroy Lindo won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture, and Wunmi Mosaku won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture.

The awards night listed Sinners (Warner Bros. Pictures) as the Outstanding Motion Picture winner and named Michael B. Jordan – Sinners (Warner Bros. Pictures) as an acting winner; other nominees and winners named during the event included One of Them Days (Sony Pictures Releasing), André Holland – Love, Brooklyn (Greenwich Entertainment), Denzel Washington – Highest 2 Lowest (A24), Nnamdi Asomugha – The Knife (Relatively Media), Tyriq Withers – HIM (Monkeypaw Productions), Cynthia Erivo – Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures) as a winner, Danielle Deadwyler – 40 Acres (Magnolia Pictures) and Keke Palmer – One of Them Days (Sony Pictures Releasing).

Salt‑N‑Pepa inducted and Deon Cole’s opening monologue

Hip‑hop pioneers 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. The trio reflected on their legacy and influence, and Spinderella said, “We didn’t know we were building a movement. ” Their hits cited at the ceremony included Push It, Shoop and Whatta Man.

Comedy star Deon Cole hosted and opened the ceremony, blending sharp political humor with pointed cultural commentary. His monologue included a censored jab referencing immigration enforcement, a nod to a recent disruption involving Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo at the British Academy Film Awards, and a joke about removing anything associated with “ICE” from the guest list before Cole shifted into a comedic prayer segment touching on celebrities and current headlines.

Ceremony setting, broadcast and a wider weekend of highlights

The 57th NAACP Image Awards took place at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, Calif., and the 2026 ceremony on Saturday was broadcast live on CBS and streamed live on BET. An photo gallery curated by photo editors accompanied coverage of the final night. The Image Awards crown winners over multiple nights in categories including film, television, music, podcasting and literature and come near the end of Black History Month in the U. S., serving as one of the final stops on Hollywood’s awards season.

Weekend highlights beyond the auditorium included off‑beat and sports moments captured in galleries and coverage: 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 the WWE Elimination Chamber in Chicago featured big wins by Randy Orton and Rhea Ripley plus big reveals from Seth Rollins and Danhausen, an event some described as playing out like a show written with one sole goal in mind — and not in a good way.

Other sports notes in the roundup: the Jets will leave the combine with five first‑round picks in 2026 and 2027; the Red Raiders won their third straight game since losing star JT Toppin for the season; thanks to a stretch of brilliance from Darryn Peterson the Jayhawks cut a deficit to two points in the second half before the Wildcats staged another run; and Brandon Miller scored 26 for Charlotte, which has won 16 of its past 20 games. Side items in the weekend feed included a Wordle hint feature — “Does today's Wordle have you stumped? Here are some hints and the answer” — and the observation that no one ever said you needed a hit to win a softball game.