Will Smith Is a Winner on Night 1 of 2022 NAACP Image Awards’ Pre-Telecast Awards

Will Smith, who received two Oscar nominations for his work in King Richard, won an NAACP Image Award for outstanding literary work – biography/autobiography for Will on Monday (Feb. 21).

The NAACP Image Awards are following the lead of the Primetime Emmys’ Creative Arts Awards in stripping their “pre-telecast” awards across an entire week. The focus on opening night was on literary categories and four inaugural podcast categories.

“Jemele Hill Is Unbothered” was the night’s only double winner. It won for outstanding society and culture podcast and outstanding arts and entertainment podcast.

Acting legend Cicely Tyson, who died in January 2021 at age 96, won outstanding literary work – debut author for Just as I Am.

Smith is also nominated for outstanding actor in a motion picture and outstanding motion picture. Those awards will be presented on the 53rd NAACP Image Awards, which are set to air on Saturday (Feb. 26) at 8 p.m. ET/PT on BET.

Non-televised awards will be announced nightly through Friday Feb. 25 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on naacpimageawards.net and the NAACP Image Awards YouTube channel.

Billboard will update this story each night this week with the most recent winners on top.

Monday, Feb. 21

Literary Categories

Outstanding Literary Work – Fiction: Long Division – Kiese Laymon (Simon & Schuster)

Outstanding Literary Work – Nonfiction: The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story – Nikole Hannah-Jones (Penguin Random House)

Outstanding Literary Work – Debut Author: Just as I Am – Cicely Tyson (Amistad)

Outstanding Literary Work – Biography/Autobiography: Will – Will Smith (Penguin Random House)

Outstanding Literary Work – Instructional: Feeding the Soul (Because It’s My Business) – Tabitha Brown (HarperCollins Publishers)

Outstanding Literary Work – Poetry: Perfect Black – Crystal Wilkinson (University Press of Kentucky)

Outstanding Literary Work – Children: Stacey’s Extraordinary Words – Stacey Abrams, Kitt Thomas (HarperCollins)

Outstanding Literary Work – Youth/Teens: Ace of Spades – Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé (Feiwel & Friends / Macmillan)

Podcast Categories

Outstanding News and Information Podcast: “Blindspot: Tulsa Burning”

Outstanding Lifestyle/Self-Help Podcast: “Two Funny Mamas,” Sherri Shepherd & Kym Whitley

Outstanding Society and Culture Podcast: “Jemele Hill Is Unbothered”

Outstanding Arts and Entertainment Podcast: “Jemele Hill Is Unbothered”

Special Awards

Youth Activist of the Year: Channing Hill, NAACP chapter president, Howard University.

Here’s a link to a complete list of nominees for the 53rd annual NAACP Image Awards.

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