Lindsay Utz, Jacinda Ardern and Michelle Walshe attend the 'Prime Minister' premiere. Arturo Holmes/Getty Images 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.
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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 Documentary Lost in the Jungle Little Monster Films [Lightbox | Pacha Films | Señal Colombia | Demolition Films | National Geographic Documentary Films]
Outstanding Politics and Government Documentary Prime Minister Madison Wells [HBO Documentary Films | CNN Films | Dark Doris | Divergent Pictures]
Outstanding Social Issue Documentary The Ride Ahead American Documentary | POV | PBS [LikeRightNow Films]
Outstanding Investigative Documentary Critical Incident: A Death at the Border HBO Documentary Films [Midnight Films | crazyrose | Film 45]
Outstanding Historical Documentary Simon Schama: The Holocaust, 80 Years On Oxford Film and Television | PBS [BBC | The WNET Group]
Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary
Tiler Peck: Suspending Time Great Performances Late Autumn Productions, LLC. | PBS [THIRTEEN Productions LLC]
Outstanding Science and Technology Documentary The Memory of Darkness, Light, and Ice Metamorph Films, LLC
Outstanding Nature Documentary Secrets of the Penguins Talesmith [National Geographic]
Outstanding Business and Economic Documentary Can’t Look Away: The Case Against Social Media Bloomberg Originals [DCTV]
Outstanding Crime and Justice Documentary The Strike Independent Lens Latino Public Broadcasting | PBS
Outstanding Short Documentary Projecting Protest Scripps News [Clement Cinema]
Best Documentary Prime Minister Madison Wells [HBO Documentary Films | CNN Films | Dark Doris | Divergent Pictures]
Outstanding Writing – Documentary Underdogs Wildstar Films [Maximum Effort | National Geographic]
Outstanding Research – Documentary Turning Point: The Vietnam War Netflix [Luminant Media | Netflix]
Outstanding Direction – Documentary 2000 Meters to Andriivka FRONTLINE FEATURES | PBS [Associated Press]
Outstanding Cinematography – Documentary Heart of the Emperors Secrets of the Penguins Talesmith [National Geographic]
Outstanding Editing – Documentary Cover-Up Netflix [Plan B | Netflix | Praxis Films]
Outstanding Graphic Design – Documentary In Waves and War Studio AKA | Netflix [Netflix | Actual Films]
Outstanding Music Composition – Documentary Pangolin: Kulu’s Journey Netflix [Dog Star Films | Water Creature Film | Netflix | Anonymous Content]
Outstanding Sound – Documentary Underdogs Wildstar Films [Maximum Effort | National Geographic]
Outstanding Lighting Direction – Documentary Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders Netflix [Third Eye Motion Picture Company | Netflix | Radical Media | MA Productions | Silvio Films]
Outstanding Art Direction / Set Decoration / Scenic Design – Documentary Songs From the Hole Netflix [Cocomotion Pictures | Question Culture | Impact Partners | Artemis Rising Foundation | Netflix]
Outstanding Promotional Announcement – Documentary Chris Hemsworth: A Road Trip to Remember National Geographic [Mattock]
Outstanding Regional Documentary Blue – The Life and Art of George Rodrigue WLAE-TV
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