Emmy Awards 2026 Night 1: Full Winners List Revealed, Bad Bunny & The Traitors Shine

The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards began with the first Creative Arts ceremony in Los Angeles, honouring outstanding work across reality, documentary and variety programming, with The Traitors and Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl show among winners.

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The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards kicked off with the first Creative Arts Emmy ceremony at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on September 5. The ceremony recognised outstanding work across documentary, reality, variety, game show and short-form programming.

Several popular shows and specials emerged as big winners on the first night. The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny, The Traitors and The Late Show With Stephen Colbert secured multiple awards across various categories.

Emmy Awards 2026 Night 1: Full Winners List

Here is the complete list of winners from the first night of the Creative Arts Emmys:

- Best Documentary or Nonfiction Series: Mr. Scorsese

- Best Documentary or Nonfiction Special: My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay

- Best Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special: Tucci in Italy

- Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking: The Librarians

- Best Structured Reality Program: Antiques Roadshow

- Best Unstructured Reality Program: Love on the Spectrum

- Best Game Show: Jeopardy

- Best Variety Special (Live): The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny

- Best Variety Special (Pre-Recorded): The Muppet Show

- Best Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series: Colbert Before Air

- Best Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series: Inside the Pitt

- Best Emerging Media Program: Uncanny Alley: A New Day

- Best Innovation in Emerging Media Programming: Crafting Crimes

- Best Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program: Alan Cumming, The Traitors

- Best Game Show Host: Jimmy Kimmel, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire

- Best Narrator: Octavia Spencer, Lost Women of Alaska

- Best Performer in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series: Desi Lydic, The Daily Show: Desi Lydic Foxsplains

- Best Casting for a Reality Program: Love on the Spectrum

- Best Choreography for Variety or Reality Programming: The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny

- Best Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program: Ocean With David Attenborough

- Best Cinematography for a Reality Program: The Traitors

- Best Commercial: “I’m Not Remarkable” — Apple - Best Costumes for Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Programming: The Masked Singer and The Traitors

- Best Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program: My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay

- Best Directing for a Reality Program: The Traitors

- Best Directing for a Variety Series: The Late Show With Stephen Colbert

- Best Directing for a Variety Special: The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny

- Best Hairstyling for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program: RuPaul’s Drag Race

- Best Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Series: The Late Show With Stephen Colbert

- Best Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Special: The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny

- Best Makeup for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program: Saturday Night Live

- Best Music Composition for a Documentary/Nonfiction or Reality Program: John Candy: I Like Me

- Best Music Direction: The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny

- Best Picture Editing for a Nonfiction Program: Sean Combs: The Reckoning

- Best Picture Editing for a Structured Reality or Competition Program: The Traitors

- Best Picture Editing for an Unstructured Reality Program: Love on the Spectrum

- Best Picture Editing for Variety Programming: The Muppet Show

- Best Picture Editing for Variety Programming (Segment): The Late Show With Stephen Colbert

- Best Production Design for a Variety or Reality Series: The Traitors

- Best Production Design for a Variety Special: The Muppet Show

- Best Sound Editing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program: Ocean With David Attenborough

- Best Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction Program: Billy Joel: And So It Goes

- Best Sound Mixing for a Reality Program: Welcome to Wrexham

- Best Sound Mixing for a Variety Series or Special: The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny

- Best Technical Direction and Camerawork for a Series: The Late Show With Stephen Colbert

- Best Technical Direction and Camerawork for a Special: The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny

- Best Writing for a Nonfiction Program: The Daily Show Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse: Give the Man a Prize

- Best Writing for a Variety Series: The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and The Muppet Show

Notably, Octavia Spencer won her first Emmy for her narration in Lost Women of Alaska, adding another highlight to the first night of the Creative Arts Emmys.

The second Creative Arts Emmy ceremony is scheduled for September 6 and will focus on scripted programmes and additional technical and artistic categories. The televised Primetime Emmy Awards will then take place on September 14 on NBC and Peacock.