TheWrap earned 26 finalist placements across 20 categories for the Los Angeles Press Club’s 19th annual National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards, the organization announced Tuesday. The tally marks an improvement from the 17 nominations in 2025, ultimately taking home eight awards including Best Website.
The nominations recognize TheWrap’s work across breaking news, investigative reporting, features, photography and visual storytelling, as well as individual journalists like senior reporter Kayla Cobb (Online Journalist of the Year) and the site itself (Best Entertainment Website).
Among the nominated work are investigative and business stories examining Disney’s artificial intelligence ambitions and Lionsgate’s plans for AI-generated movies, as well as TheWrap’s new enterprise series, “Trade Secrets: An Insider Guide to Mastering the Industry.” Feature finalists include coverage of filmmakers Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the impact of AI on television writers and the evolution of late night comedy in the wake of Stephen Colbert’s high-profile exit.
TheWrap’s creative team also earned recognition, with six finalist placements across portrait photography and animation or moving graphics categories. Nominated portraits include “One Battle After Another” breakout Chase Infiniti, “I Love LA” creator-star Rachel Sennott, “I Love LA” star and “Club Kid” filmmaker-star Jordan Firstman, “The Pitt” actress Shabana Azeez and “The Traitors” host Alan Cumming.
The nominations also include Founder and Editor-in-Chief Sharon Waxman in the category for best entertainment blog tied to an organization for WaxWord.
The 19th National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards ceremony is scheduled for Dec. 6 at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.
Check out the full nominations for TheWrap below:
Online Journalist of the Year — Tied to an Organization
- Kayla Cobb
Portrait Photo, Film
- Bjorn Iooss, “Portrait of Chase Infiniti”
- Arsenii Vaselenko, Tiensirin Tienngern, Shannon Watkins and Ian Robinson, “Portrait of Jordan Firstman — Cannes Director Portfolio Issue”
Portrait Photo, TV
- Erik Carter, Tiensirin Tienngern, Shannon Watkins and Ian Robinson, “Portrait of Shabana Azeez”
- Steve Limones, Tiensirin Tienngern and Shannon Watkins, “Portrait of Alan Cumming”
- Arsenii Vaselenko, Tiensirin Tienngern, Shannon Watkins and Ian Robinson, “Portrait of Rachel Sennott and Jordan Firstman”
Animation/Moving Graphic
- Robert Ascroft, Raoul Germain, Tiensirin Tienngern, Russ Lemkin and Ian Robinson, “Moving Cover: The Lowdown”
Personality Profile, Film Industry (Under 2,500 Words)
- Steve Pond, “‘We Grew Up Together, Bro’: How Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan Blazed Their Way to ‘Sinners’”
Hard News, Film
- Drew Taylor, “When $1.4 Billion Isn’t Enough: ‘Avatar’ Sequels Under the Microscope as Disney Weighs Franchise’s Future”
Hard News, TV/Streaming
- Kayla Cobb, “The $110 Billion Squeeze: How NFL’s Seismic Cash Grab Could Reshape TV”
- Kayla Cobb and Tess Patton, “Inside the Dark Underbelly of the Microdrama Phenomenon”
- Lucas Manfredi, “State AGs Are Pushing Back Against Media Consolidation. Is It Too Late?”
Soft News, TV/Streaming
- Drew Taylor, “The Disney+ Curse: How the Streaming Service Hurt Marvel, Star Wars and Pixar Brands”
Business, Film
- Umberto Gonzalez, Lucas Manfredi and Casey Loving, “Trade Secrets: An Insider Guide to Mastering the Industry”
Business, Tech/Design/Arts
- Roger Cheng, “How Disney’s AI Ambitions Hit a Wall” (Exclusive)
Investigative Reporting
- Roger Cheng and Jeremy Fuster, “What Happened to Lionsgate’s Splashy Plan to Make AI Movies With Runway? It’s Complicated” (Exclusive)
Diversity in the Film Industry
- Jeremy Fuster, “Hollywood Knows Diverse Films Make More Money. So Why Are Black Filmmakers Still Being Told to Wait?”
Personality Profile, Film Industry
- Drew Taylor, “With ‘Project Hail Mary,’ Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller Blast Off”
Film Feature, Production — Above-the-Line Creatives
- Emily Zemler, “Inside Doug Liman’s $70 Million AI-Made Movie Starring Casey Affleck and Gal Gadot” (Exclusive)
TV/Streaming Feature, Shows — Business/History
- Loree Seitz and Kayla Cobb, “TV Writers Worry AI Will Replace Them. Now They’re Putting Those Anxieties on Screen”
Celebrity Feature
- Drew Taylor, “Bob Iger’s Disney Legacy: Less a Creative Visionary, More a Savvy Portfolio Manager”
Commentary on Features/Documentaries
- Adam Chitwood and Jeremy Fuster, “The Future of Movies Is Here: ‘Backrooms,’ ‘Obsession’ Mark Turning Point for Hollywood” (Analysis)
Commentary Analysis/Trend, TV Industry
- Kayla Cobb and Adam Chitwood, “The Future of Late Night Comedy: What’s Lost When — Not If — It Goes Away”
Entertainment Website
- TheWrap Staff, “thewrap.com”
Entertainment Blog by an Individual or Group Tied to an Organization
- Richard Stellar, “Who Will Hollywood Answer To? The Real Cost of the Paramount-Warner Deal”
- Sharon Waxman, “WaxWord”
