The 51st annual Gracie Awards recognize women across television, radio, audio, and digital media, with a gala set for May 19 in Beverly Hills
The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation has announced its 2026 Gracie Award winners, and Oprah tops a list that spans nearly every format in which women are making their mark. Oprah Winfrey, Rhea Seehorn, Abby Phillip, Monica Lewinsky, Jameela Jamil, Katherine LaNasa, Rachel Sennott, Sarah Snook, and Tina Knowles are among the national honorees for the 51st annual ceremony.
The Gracie Awards Gala will take place May 19 at the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills. A separate luncheon recognizing local and student honorees is scheduled for June 16 in New York City.
AWMF president Becky Brooks described this year’s class as a group of women who are actively shaping the cultural conversation rather than simply participating in it. Her statement framed the honorees as storytellers whose work refuses to leave the world unchanged.
What the Gracie Awards recognize
The Gracies have been honoring programming by, for, and about women since their founding, with past recipients including Michelle Obama, Keke Palmer, Katie Couric, Nicole Kidman, Amanda Seyfried, Melissa McCarthy, Gayle King, Glenn Close, Selena Gomez, Mindy Kaling, Martha Stewart, Barbara Walters, and Betty White. The award covers television, streaming, radio, audio, and digital media, making it one of the more comprehensive honors in the industry.
This year’s Grand Award for Documentary went to Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything, produced by ABC News Studios and Hulu.
Highlights from the Gracie television and streaming winners
Rhea Seehorn earned the Actress in a Leading Role honor in the drama category for her work in “Pluribus” on Apple TV. Katherine LaNasa was recognized in the Supporting Actress drama category for her role in “The Pitt” on HBO Max. Sarah Snook won Actress in a Leading Role for a Made for TV Movie or Limited Series for her performance in “All Her Fault” on Peacock. Rachel Sennott took home the Showrunner Fiction award in the comedy category for “I Love LA” on HBO Max.
Abby Phillip was honored in the On-Air Talent category for her work on “NewsNight with Abby Phillip” on CNN. “Dancing with the Stars” on ABC won the Competition Series award, and “Yellowjackets” on Paramount+ was recognized for its Ensemble Cast.
Oprah and the podcast honorees making noise in digital media
In the digital media category, Oprah received the Video Podcast Host honor for “The Oprah Podcast” through Harpo Productions, adding another industry recognition to a career that has defined what media influence looks like for decades. The award reflects how Oprah has continued to build audience trust in a format that many legacy media figures have struggled to translate into.
Monica Lewinsky was recognized as Audio Podcast Host in the Lifestyle category for “Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky.” Jameela Jamil earned recognition as Audio Podcast Host in the Entertainment category for “Wrong Turns with Jameela Jamil.”
Tina Knowles received the Audiobook Narrator honor in the Non-Fiction category for Matriarch, released through Penguin Random House Audio. In the radio category, the Chappell Roan interview with Apple Music Country’s Kelleigh Bannen was honored in the Interview Feature category.
A wide field that goes well beyond Oprah
Beyond Oprah and the other headline names, the 2026 Gracie winners reflect how broadly women are leading across the media landscape. Nia DaCosta was recognized as Director in the Drama Feature Film category for Hedda through Amazon MGM Studios. Robin Wright earned the Director honor for a Drama Mini Series for her work on “The Girlfriend” on Prime Video. Janicza Bravo was named Director in the Comedy category for “The Bear” on FX and Hulu.
On the investigative side, the PBS and BBC co-production “Syria’s Detainee Files,” aired on “Frontline,” won both the Documentary News/Investigative award and the Director Documentary honor. NPR’s coverage of missing children in Syria received the Crisis Coverage award in the radio category.
The full list of national winners spans television, streaming, radio, audio, and digital media, covering more than 80 individual honorees and productions. For Oprah, the recognition is one more data point in a body of work that shows no signs of slowing down.