The NAACP Image Awards are expanding their recognition of African entertainment with 10 new categories celebrating talent from the continent.

These categories will debut at the 58th NAACP Image Awards in 2027, giving African filmmakers, actors, television creators and musicians dedicated award categories within one of the most established celebrations of Black achievement in entertainment and culture. According to the NAACP, the expansion is intended to build a cultural bridge between Africa and the global Black diaspora while recognising the continent’s growing influence across film, television and music.

The 10 categories are divided across three major areas of entertainment.

In film, the awards will introduce Outstanding African Motion Picture, Outstanding Actor in an African Motion Picture, Outstanding Actress in an African Motion Picture and Outstanding Directing in an African Motion Picture.

Television will receive three categories: Outstanding African Television Series, Outstanding Actor in an African Television Series and Outstanding Actress in an African Television Series.

Music completes the expansion with Outstanding African Album, Outstanding African Song and Outstanding African New Artist.

The additions arrive as African entertainment continues to occupy a larger space in global pop culture, from Afrobeats and amapiano increasingly dominating streaming platforms, festivals, and major award ceremonies to African films and television productions penetrating global film markets.

This isn’t the first time the Image Awards are recognising African artists through their existing categories. At the 56th NAACP Image Awards in 2025, Wizkid took home the award for Best Contemporary Duo or Group for his single “Piece of My Heart” featuring Brent Faiyaz. While, Davido secured Best International Song for his contribution to Chris Brown’s “HMM”.

And at the 55th NAACP Image Awards, global star Tems won the prize for Outstanding International Song for her single “Me & U”, following her previous win at the 54th edition, where Tems won the Outstanding International Song category for her song “No Woman No Cry” from the film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and the Outstanding Music Video/Visual Album award for her contribution to Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up”.

The creation of dedicated African categories marks a shift from recognising African work primarily through broader international or general categories to establishing specific spaces for work originating from the continent.

Ahead of the 58th edition, the NAACP Image Awards will feature 108 categories across motion pictures, television and streaming, recording, literature and podcasts. Alongside the African categories, the awards are introducing other new categories, including Outstanding Breakthrough Performance by an Actor and Actress in a Motion Picture, Outstanding Guest Performance by an Actor and Actress, and Outstanding Scripted Vertical Series. The ceremony will also bring back Daytime Drama categories.

The expansion also continues the Image Awards’ broader history of recognising Black creativity across the diaspora. The NAACP describes the awards as a platform for celebrating artistic achievement while highlighting work connected to equality, justice and progressive change.

For African creatives hoping to enter the 2027 awards, eligibility is tied to work released or performances taking place between January 1 and December 31, 2026. Submissions opened on August 31, 2026. Early-bird submissions close October 9, literary submissions close November 6, and the general online submission deadline is November 13.

Following submissions, NAACP Image Awards nominating committees will vote between December 4 and December 18. The nominees will be announced on January 7, 2027, when public voting will also open. Public voting closes February 1, while the date for the 58th NAACP Image Awards ceremony has yet to be announced.

The move gives African film, television and music a more defined place within an awards institution historically centred on Black achievement in the United States. As African entertainment continues to travel across borders, the new categories position the Image Awards as another space where the relationship between the continent and the wider Black diaspora can be reflected through contemporary culture.