‘Prime Minister’ Takes Top Prize at 2026 News & Documentary Emmys
The documentary winners were handed out at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall on Thursday night, where Michael Ian Black hosted.
Prime Minister won the top prize of best documentary at the 2026 News & Documentary Emmy Awards on Thursday.
The documentary, which hails from HBO Documentary Films and CNN Films, tracked Jacinda Ardern’s pathway to becoming New Zealand’s 40th Prime Minister.
Other top honors of the night went to Simon Schama: The Holocaust, 80 Years On, for outstanding historical documentary; Tiler Peck for outstanding arts and culture documentary for Tiler Peck: Suspending Time; and National Geographic’s Secrets of the Penguins with the outstanding nature documentary award.
The documentary winners were handed out at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall on Thursday night, where Michael Ian Black hosted. Emmy-winning documentarian and Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Sam Pollard was recognized with a lifetime achievement honor.
Presenters at Thursday night’s awards ceremony included Serena Davies (National Geographic, NASA), Producer Stephanie Jenkins, Cynthia Lopez (CEO of New York Women in Film & Television), Tiler Peck (NYC Ballet, Tiler Peck: Suspending Time) and Simon Schama (Simon Schama’s Story of Us). Christina Ruffini also moderated discussions with nominees about the challenges of documentary filmmaking.
On Wednesday night, the prize winners in the news categories were announced, with ABC News and National Geographic among the night’s top winners.
ABC World News Tonight with David Muir was awarded the prize for outstanding live news program. ABC earned the most awards of the night with eight, followed by Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller via National Geographic/Muck Media with seven and CNN with four.
See below for a complete list of the documentary Emmy winners.
Outstanding Current Affairs DocumentaryLost in the JungleLittle Monster Films [Lightbox | Pacha Films | Señal Colombia | Demolition Films | National Geographic Documentary Films]
Outstanding Politics and Government DocumentaryPrime MinisterMadison Wells [HBO Documentary Films | CNN Films | Dark Doris | Divergent Pictures]
Outstanding Social Issue DocumentaryThe Ride AheadAmerican Documentary | POV | PBS [LikeRightNow Films]
Outstanding Investigative DocumentaryCritical Incident: A Death at the BorderHBO Documentary Films [Midnight Films | crazyrose | Film 45]
Outstanding Historical DocumentarySimon Schama: The Holocaust, 80 Years OnOxford Film and Television | PBS [BBC | The WNET Group]
Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary
Tiler Peck: Suspending TimeGreat PerformancesLate Autumn Productions, LLC. | PBS [THIRTEEN Productions LLC]
Outstanding Science and Technology DocumentaryThe Memory of Darkness, Light, and IceMetamorph Films, LLC
Outstanding Nature DocumentarySecrets of the PenguinsTalesmith [National Geographic]
Outstanding Business and Economic DocumentaryCan’t Look Away: The Case Against Social MediaBloomberg Originals [DCTV]
Outstanding Crime and Justice DocumentaryThe StrikeIndependent LensLatino Public Broadcasting | PBS
Outstanding Short DocumentaryProjecting ProtestScripps News [Clement Cinema]
Best DocumentaryPrime MinisterMadison Wells [HBO Documentary Films | CNN Films | Dark Doris | Divergent Pictures]
Outstanding Writing – DocumentaryUnderdogsWildstar Films [Maximum Effort | National Geographic]
Outstanding Research – DocumentaryTurning Point: The Vietnam WarNetflix [Luminant Media | Netflix]
Outstanding Direction – Documentary2000 Meters to AndriivkaFRONTLINE FEATURES | PBS [Associated Press]
Outstanding Cinematography – DocumentaryHeart of the EmperorsSecrets of the PenguinsTalesmith [National Geographic]
Outstanding Editing – DocumentaryCover-UpNetflix [Plan B | Netflix | Praxis Films]
Outstanding Graphic Design – DocumentaryIn Waves and WarStudio AKA | Netflix [Netflix | Actual Films]
Outstanding Music Composition – DocumentaryPangolin: Kulu’s JourneyNetflix [Dog Star Films | Water Creature Film | Netflix | Anonymous Content]
Outstanding Sound – DocumentaryUnderdogsWildstar Films [Maximum Effort | National Geographic]
Outstanding Lighting Direction – DocumentaryCold Case: The Tylenol MurdersNetflix [Third Eye Motion Picture Company | Netflix | Radical Media | MA Productions | Silvio Films]
