The 56th NAACP Image Awards nominees announced; Keke Palmer, Shannon Sharpe, and Kendrick Lamar up for Entertainer of the Year

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The nominations for the 56th NAACP Image Awards have been announced, and actress and comedian Ayo Edebiri, rapper GloRilla, the film “The Piano Lesson,” and the limited series “Fright Night” starring Kevin Hart, are poised to win big.

On Tuesday, Chloe Bailey (nominated for Outstanding Music Video for “Boy Bye”) joined NAACP president and CEO Derrick Johnson on “CBS Mornings” to announce the nominees, per Variety.

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This year’s theme for the award ceremony, which will take place at the Pasadena Civic Center and air live on Feb. 22 on BET and CBS, is “Our Stories, Our Culture, Our Excellence,” Billboard reported. A host has yet to be announced.

Among those honored this year, Edebiri leads as the most nominated performer with five nominations: three for “The Bear” (including for her directorial debut of an episode), and one for her “SNL” guest hosting gig.

Keke Palmer follows closely behind with four nominations. She is up for Entertainer of the Year, Outstanding Host for “Password, Outstanding Character Voice Performance for “The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy,” and Outstanding Society and Culture Podcast for “Baby, This is Keke.”

Cynthia Erivo, Kendrick Lamar, Kevin Hart, and Shannon Sharpe are also up for Entertainer of the Year. Kai Cenat and Keith Lee are both up for Outstanding Social Media Personality.

With 14 nominations, “The Piano Lesson” leads in film nominations, including for director Malcolm Washington and stars John David Washington, Danielle Deadwyler, Samuel L. Jackson, Corey Hawkins and Skylar Aleece Smith.

The Netflix film is joined in the Outstanding Motion Picture Category by Sony’s “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” Paramount’s “Bob Marley: One Love,” Netflix’s “The Six Triple Eight” and Universal’s “Wicked.”

Kevin Hart’s limited series on Peacock, “Fight Night,” leads across television categories with nine nominations, including for stars Hart, Don Cheadle, Samuel L. Jackson, Taraji P. Henson, and Terrence Howard.

GloRilla leads the music categories with six nominations, including Outstanding New Artist. However, Doechii, Lamar, and Usher are close behind, with four nods each. Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” album earned the icon three nominations.

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“We look forward to celebrating the brilliance of Black talent and creativity whose stories shape culture, ignite change, and inspire generations,” Johnson said in a statement about the nominations, per Variety. “Through film, music, literature, and more, their voices weave a rich tapestry that honors our heritage, celebrates our identity, and proves that storytelling is a powerful force for driving true progress.”

The public can vote to determine the winners in select categories by visiting NAACPImageAwards.net. Voting closes on Feb. 7 at midnight ET. The winners will be revealed over two days next month: on Friday, Feb. 21, at the Creative Honors Ceremonies, which will stream on NAACPImageAwards.net, and on Saturday, Feb. 22, during a two-hour live TV special, airing at 8 p.m. ET/ 8 p.m. PT on BET and CBS.