2026 Critics Choice Documentary Awards Nominations List

Just days after making its world premiere at the New York Film Festival, Ava DuVernay’s 14th has landed the most nominations at the 2026 Critics Choice Documentary Awards.

The Netflix film about the significance of and ongoing challenges to the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is nominated for best documentary feature, best director (DuVernay), best editing (Spencer Averick), best score (Jason Moran), best political documentary and best historical documentary.

A number of documentaries landed the second-most nominations this year, with five nods apiece. The buzzy Elizabeth Holmes doc You Can See Everything, directed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, is up for five awards, as are Once Upon a Time in Harlem and Nuisance Bear.

Four-time nominees are Everybody to Kenmure Street, Remake, John Wilson’s The History of Concrete, Everest: The Other Side, EPIC: Elvis Presley in Concert, Lion and Rehearsals for a Revolution.

Alex Gibney’s four-hour Elon Musk examination, Musk, and controversial Israel-Gaza war doc, NAZA, each landed three nods.

The best documentary feature nominees are 14th, Everest: The Other Side, Everybody to Kenmure Street, The History of Concrete, Musk, NAZA, Once Upon a Time in Harlem, Rehearsals for a Revolution, Remake and You Can See Everything.

“This year’s nominees reflect the range of voices, perspectives and stories that make documentary filmmaking so compelling,” The Critics Choice Association’s vp, documentary, Christopher Campbell, said in a statement. “These films challenge us to see the world in new ways and reinforce the vital role documentaries play in informing, engaging and inspiring audiences. We are proud to recognize the exceptional talent and creativity behind this year’s nominated films.”

It was previously announced that Ron Howard would receive the Critics Choice Impact Award and Jehane Noujaim will receive lifetime achievement honor the Pennebaker Award.

The 11th annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards, hosted by Ross Mathews, will take place on Sunday, Nov. 8, from New York’s Edison Ballroom.

A complete list of this year’s nominees follows.

Best Documentary Feature

14th (Netflix)
Everest: The Other Side (National Geographic Documentary Films)
Everybody to Kenmure Street (Icarus Films)
The History of Concrete (Magnolia Pictures)
Musk (Bleecker Street)
NAZA (The Guardian / mk2 films)
Once Upon a Time in Harlem (Neon)
Rehearsals for a Revolution (Sony Pictures Classics)
Remake (Music Box Films)
You Can See Everything (A24)

Best Director

Yuval Abraham & Rachel Szor – NAZA (The Guardian / mk2 films)
Felipe Bustos Sierra – Everybody to Kenmure Street (Icarus Films)
Ava DuVernay – 14th (Netflix)
Nathan Fielder & Lance Oppenheim – You Can See Everything (A24)
Ross McElwee – Remake (Music Box Films)
Orlando von Einsiedel – The Cycle of Love (Variance Films)

Best First Documentary Feature

David Greaves – Once Upon a Time in Harlem (Neon)
Baz Luhrmann – EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert (Neon)
Gabriela Osio Vanden & Jack Weisman – Nuisance Bear (Mubi)
Xander Robin – The Python Hunt (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
Poh Si Teng – American Doctor (Watermelon Pictures)
John Wilson – The History of Concrete (Magnolia Pictures)

Best Cinematography

David Bolen – You Can See Everything (A24)
David Bolen & Matt Clegg – The Python Hunt (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
Sophie Darlington – Lion (National Geographic)
Franklin Dow – The Cycle of Love (Variance Films)
Gabriela Osio Vanden & Jack Weisman – Nuisance Bear (Mubi)
Clair Popkin, Jimmy Chin, Christopher Murphy – Everest: The Other Side (National Geographic Documentary Films)

Best Editing

Spencer Averick – 14th (Netflix)
Anne de Mare & Lynn True – Once Upon a Time in Harlem (Neon)
Adam Locke-Norton – You Can See Everything (A24)
Colin Monie – Everybody to Kenmure Street (Icarus Films)
Jonathan Redmond – EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert (Neon)
Cori Wapnowska – The History of Concrete (Magnolia Pictures)

Best Narration

The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist (Focus Features)
Written by Daniel Roher & Caroline Lindy

Performed by Daniel Roher & Caroline Lindy

The History of Concrete (Magnolia Pictures) 

Written by John Wilson

Performed by John Wilson

Lorne (Focus Features)

Written by Morgan Neville, Alan Lowe, Jake Hostetter 

Performed by Chris Parnell

Nuisance Bear (Mubi)

Written by Mike Tunalaaq Gibbons
Performed by Mike Tunalaaq Gibbons

Rehearsals for a Revolution (Sony Pictures Classics)

Written by Pegah Ahangarani

Performed by Pegah Ahangarani

Remake (Music Box Films)

Written by Ross McElwee

Performed by Ross McElwee

Best Music Score

Ari Balouzian – You Can See Everything (A24)
Dan Deacon – Time and Water (National Geographic Documentary Films)
Caroline Ho – Everest: The Other Side (National Geographic Documentary Films)
Jason Moran – 14th (Netflix)
Cristóbal Tapia de Veer – Nuisance Bear (Mubi)
Hans Zimmer, Niccolò Pacella, George Hutson Warren – Lion (National Geographic)

Best Music Documentary

Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs. That’s the Weight of the World) (HBO Max)
EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert (Neon)
Man on the Run (Amazon MGM Studios)
Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Peter Asher: Everywhere Man (Greenwich Entertainment)
Sara Bareilles: Good Grief (Group Effort Films / Naked Edge Films)

Best Political Documentary

14th (Netflix)
American Doctor (Watermelon Pictures)
Ask E. Jean (Abramorama)
Everybody to Kenmure Street (Icarus Films)
Musk (Bleecker Street)
NAZA (The Guardian / mk2 films)
Union Town (Cabin Creek Films)

Best Historical Documentary

14th (Netflix)
Once Upon a Time in Harlem (Neon)
Rehearsals for a Revolution (Sony Pictures Classics)
SCTV: The Greatest Show You’ve Never Heard Of (Netflix)
Soul Patrol (Kino Lorber)
Turning Point: Generation 9/11 (Netflix)

Best Biographical Documentary

Avedon (Netflix)
Jean-Michel Basquiat (Netflix)
Lorne (Focus Features)
Marty, Life Is Short (Netflix)
Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man! (HBO Max)
Musk (Bleecker Street)

Best Archival Documentary

EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert (Neon)
Making Marie Antoinette (Mubi)
Man on the Run (Amazon MGM Studios)
Once Upon a Time in Harlem (Neon)
Rehearsals for a Revolution (Sony Pictures Classics)
Remake (Music Box Films)

Best Science/Nature Documentary

The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist (Focus Features)
Ghost Elephants (National Geographic Documentary Films)
Lion (National Geographic)
Nuisance Bear (Mubi)
Secrets of the Bees (National Geographic)
Time and Water (National Geographic Documentary Films)

Best Sports Documentary

The Dynasty: UConn Huskies (Apple TV)
Everest: The Other Side (National Geographic Documentary Films)
Give Me the Ball! (ESPN)
Rafa (Netflix)
Standout: The Ben Kjar Story (Samuel Goldwyn Films)
Tyson (Netflix)

Best True Crime Documentary

Baby Doe (Narrative Distribution)
Funny Money: The Dane Cook Story (Dark Star Pictures)
The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare (Netflix)
A Killer Story (HBO Max)
Lost Women of Alaska (Investigation Discovery)
Murder in Glitterball City (HBO Max)

Best Short Documentary

The Baddest Speechwriter of All (Netflix)
A Derailment (POV)
Escalation (Bonfire Films)
Miller Night Football (HBO Max)
Oh Whale (The New Yorker / Switchboard Magazine)
The Second Life of Freddie Nole (Sweet World Films)
A Short Documentary About a Giant Pencil (archilux)
They’re Here (Praxis Films)

Best Limited Documentary Series

9/11: Reunited (National Geographic)
The Dark Wizard (HBO Max)
The Dynasty: UConn Huskies (Apple TV)
High Horse: The Black Cowboy (Peacock)
Lion (National Geographic)
The Man Will Burn (HBO Max)
Rafa (Netflix)

Best Ongoing Documentary Series

30 for 30 (ESPN)
American Masters (PBS)
America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (Netflix)
The Food That Built America (History)
Hazardous History with Henry Winkler (History)
Independent Lens (PBS)
Untold (Netflix)