AHS AWARDS
The AHS Awards are annual honors presented by A Hot Set, a digital media platform dedicated to amplifying the voices and contributions of People of Color (POC) in entertainment. Founded in 2023, the AHS Awards recognize excellence across film, television, and digital media, focusing on honoring all POC creatives, regardless of ethnic background or medium, across 31 categories. The awards have quickly become a unified celebration of diverse talent in the entertainment industry.
INTRODUCTION and History
The inaugural AHS Awards took place in 2023, marking a significant step forward in recognizing POC artists across the entertainment industry. Unlike most traditional awards that separate or marginalize POC achievements, A Hot Set envisioned an inclusive celebration that would elevate all People of Color, across genres, mediums, and platforms, under one roof.
Two prestigious lifetime achievement awards are featured annually:
The Akira Kurosawa Film Award, named after the iconic Japanese filmmaker, honors outstanding lifetime contributions to the film industry by a POC creator.
The Ethel Waters TV Award, named in honor of the pioneering African American actress and singer, celebrates lifetime achievement in television.
These honors reflect A Hot Set's dedication to uplifting legacy figures while spotlighting rising and contemporary talent.
The Process
The AHS Awards follow a structured and collaborative selection process that spans several months:
Pre-Nomination Ballot (December): Editors and journalists from A Hot Set receive a pre-nomination ballot and may select up to five nominees per category.
Nominee Selection: Votes are tabulated to identify the top five nominees for each award category.
Nomination Announcement: The final list of nominees is revealed in a featured editorial article published on the A Hot Set digital platform at the beginning of the year.
Final Ballot: The final ballot features a list of nominees sent out to the A Hot Set staff, who then cast their votes to determine the winners.
Winners Announcement: All award winners are revealed in a featured editorial article published on the A Hot Set digital platform.
Special Considerations
Short Film Category: Only short films covered on the A Hot Set digital platform are eligible, ensuring that editorially recognized works receive award consideration.
Legacy Tributes: Each A Hot Set staff member submits two names (one from film, one from television) of individuals they believe deserve recognition for their career contributions. The most frequently mentioned figures receive tribute features during the awards.
Mission and Impact
The mission of the AHS Awards is to celebrate, unify, and amplify the work of people of color across the entertainment industry. By recognizing excellence in film, television, and digital content without ethnic separation, the AHS Awards reflect a commitment to true inclusivity.
In an era where representation remains a central issue in Hollywood and beyond, the AHS Awards serve as a beacon for change, highlighting both emerging talent and industry veterans who have helped shape entertainment history. The awards celebrate artistic and technical achievements while providing visibility and cultural celebration across the entertainment landscape.
As the influence of POC creators continues to rise in global media, the AHS Awards stand as a powerful reminder of their growing legacy, creative excellence, and future potential.
Digital Statuette
Rather than awarding a physical trophy, the AHS Awards honor the winners through a featured editorial published by A Hot Set and a digital award recognizing their contributions to the growing prominence of people of color in the entertainment industry. This modern approach aligns with the platform’s digital-first mission, offering a prestigious spotlight celebrating the recipient’s achievements and influence.
New Design
In late 2026, A Hot Set unveiled a redesign of the AHS Award statuette to better reflect contemporary design aesthetics and create nuanced distinctions between subcategory winners within the ceremony.
The new AHS Awards statuette is a contemporary architectural piece inspired by the intersection of entertainment, creativity, and ambition. Its sculptural form combines a rising skyline of varied metallic towers with an organically shaped gold flame emerging through the structure. Silver architectural elements symbolize the institutions and infrastructure that shape the entertainment industry, while the flame represents creative energy, achievement, and the enduring impact of storytelling. Select color accents provide a distinctive visual connection to the AHS identity as follows:
Original (2023-2026)
The original AHS Award was a contemporary sculptural statuette featuring a sweeping, flame-like form crafted in transparent, fractured crystal. Rising dramatically from a rounded dark-wood base, the sculpture combined organic movement with architectural precision. The contrast between the luminous, textured crystal and richly grained wood gave the award a sophisticated, premium character, while its ascending silhouette symbolized creative ambition, achievement, resilience, and impact.
The red-accented statuette is awarded for all film categories.
The teal-accented statuette is awarded for all scripted television categories.
The orange-accented statuette is awarded for all unscripted television categories.
The green-accented statuette is awarded for all scripted digital entertainment categories.
The composition is anchored by an integrated metallic-gold award base featuring the AHS Award mark and individual category name, creating a refined, dimensional trophy designed to feel both prestigious and distinctly modern.
Lifetime Achievement Award
The Lifetime Achievement Award statuette is a monumental architectural sculpture inspired by the power of the entertainment industry. A dynamic arrangement of gold and silver vertical forms rises from an integrated flame motif, creating the impression of a modern cinematic skyline in motion. The architectural elements symbolize the performers, creatives, and businesspeople who shape the industry, while the flowing flames represent artistic vision, imagination, and visionary legacy. Anchored by a substantial graphite-metallic base bearing the AHS Award insignia and honoree designation, the statuette balances geometric precision with organic movement. Its combination of gold, silver, and dark metallic finishes gives the award a distinguished, contemporary character befitting a lifetime achievement honor.
AHS Awards: Categories Overview
The AHS Awards are divided into four major categories: Film, Scripted TV, Unscripted TV, and Media, with each category designed to spotlight excellence and celebrate the creativity of People of Color (POC) across diverse areas of entertainment. Since its introduction, the awards have expanded, adding new categories to reflect better the full scope of storytelling and innovation within the industry.
Film (10 Categories)
In its inaugural year, the AHS Awards originally included both leading and supporting acting categories, but these were later consolidated to streamline the ceremony. Recognizing the need to honor the craft of writing, the Best Screenplay category was introduced in the second edition of the AHS Awards. Additionally, the Short Film category was added in the second AHS Awards to recognize impactful stories in shorter formats covered on A Hot Set's platform.
Categories include:
Best Film: Awarded to the overall best film of the year created by or starring POC.
Best Foreign Film: Celebrates an outstanding filmed stand-up performance by a POC comedian, showcasing originality, humor, and cultural relevance.
Best Animated Film: Honors excellence in animated storytelling, highlighting films created by POC.
Best Documentary: Recognizes compelling nonfiction films that explore real-world issues, histories, or personal narratives centered on POC experiences.
Best Stand-Up Comedy Special: Celebrates an outstanding stand-up performance by a POC comedian, showcasing originality, humor, and cultural relevance.
Best Short Film: Only short films covered on the A Hot Set digital platform are eligible.
Best Screenplay: Recognizes excellence in original or adapted screenwriting.
Best Director: Honors outstanding direction in a feature film.
Best Actor: Recognizes an exceptional performance by a male-identifying actor in a lead film role.
Best Actress: Recognizes an exceptional performance by a female-identifying actor in a lead film role.
Scripted TV (9 Categories)
Scripted television is divided into drama and comedy, with each subdivision recognizing both traditional and contemporary storytelling formats. The inclusion of soaps and telenovelas highlights the global success and cultural impact of POC in the daily drama series genre, with the intended introduction of acting categories for the fourth AHS Awards honors.
Comedy:
Best TV Series—Comedy: Recognizes an exceptional sitcom or dramedy series.
Best TV Actor—Comedy: Celebrates a standout performance by a male in a sitcom or dramedy series.
Best TV Actress—Comedy: Celebrates a standout performance by a female in a sitcom or dramedy series.
Drama:
Best TV Series—Drama: Recognizes compelling, multi-season dramas and limited series across all genres.
Best TV Actor—Drama: Celebrates an outstanding acting performance by a male in a drama or limited series.
Best TV Actress—Drama: Celebrates an outstanding acting performance by a female in a drama or limited series.
Soap/Telenovela:
Best TV Series—Soap/Telenovela: Honors excellence in weekly or multiple-episode-a-week serialized storytelling by a soap opera or telenovela.
Best TV Actor—Soap/Telenovela: Celebrates a standout performance by a male in a weekly or multiple-episode-a-week serialized soap opera or telenovela.
Best TV Actress—Soap/Telenovela: Celebrates a standout performance by a female in a weekly or multiple-episode-a-week serialized soap opera or telenovela.
Unscripted TV (10 Categories)
The Unscripted TV categories reflect the broad spectrum of reality-based programming, from traditional talk shows to highly produced docuseries. Categories are defined to ensure recognition of both informative and entertaining subgenres of unscripted television.
Categories include:
Best Conversation Series: Includes traditional and streaming formats, such as video podcasts, honoring conversational programming (e.g., Baby This Is Keke).
Best Conversation Series Host: Honors the charisma and command of an unscripted television host (e.g., Jennifer Hudson, Shannon Sharpe).
Best News Program: Celebrates excellence in broadcast, cable, or digital news (e.g., Breaking Points, 20/20).
Best News Anchor: Recognizes an outstanding anchor or anchors in a news program (e.g., Harris Faulkner, Tom Llamas).
Best Game Show: Recognizes interactive shows hosted before a live audience with contestant participation (e.g., Let’s Make a Deal, Family Feud).
Best Game Show Host: Celebrates an engaging, effective game show host, acknowledging their energy, timing, and rapport with participants (e.g., Wayne Brady).
Best Competitive Series: Honors elimination-style competition series (e.g., American Idol, RuPaul’s Drag Race, The Masked Singer).
Best Competitive Series Host/Judges: Awards the host and/or judges who bring expertise, personality, and fairness to competitive programming (e.g., Survivor).
Best Docuseries: Recognizes factual, multi-episode documentaries (e.g., Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.)
Best Docusoap: Celebrates reality shows focused on interpersonal drama and sensational storytelling (e.g., Bling Empire, Young, Rich & African).
digital entertainment (2 Categories)
The categories recognize the evolving digital landscape and celebrate creators and innovators outside of traditional film and television formats. Best Video Game was added to the third AHS Awards to showcase POC contributions to video games.
Categories include:
Best Social Media Content Creator: Honors a POC content creator whose engaging digital work spans multiple platforms.
Best Video Game: Celebrates POC contributions in the gaming industry, whether through design, performance, or production.
Lifetime Achievement Awards
Honoring individuals with over 30 years of experience in the entertainment industry, the Lifetime Achievement Awards celebrate the enduring legacies of POC whose groundbreaking work has shaped film and television. These awards recognize trailblazers whose influence continues to inspire future generations through decades of artistic excellence, cultural impact, and industry leadership.
Akira Kurosawa Film Award
Akira Kurosawa, a legendary Japanese filmmaker, is consistently ranked among the greatest directors of all time. Known for iconic works such as Seven Samurai and Rashomon, Kurosawa remains the only person of color frequently listed among the top ten directors globally. This award honors veteran POC in film, both in front of and behind the lens, whose legacy has made a lasting impact on the cinematic landscape.
Ethel Waters TV Award
Ethel Waters was a pioneering figure in American television, becoming the first person of color to lead a TV series, The Ethel Waters Show, and later starring in Beulah. The Ethel Waters TV Award honors enduring contributions by POC in television and streaming media, spotlighting those who have opened doors and influenced generations through performance, writing, directing, and production.
Raoul A. Cortez Leadership Award
Raoul A. Cortez was a pioneering Latino media executive and broadcaster who founded KCOR-TV in San Antonio in 1955, establishing the first Spanish-language television station in the United States and helping lay the foundation for the modern Spanish-language television industry. The Raoul A. Cortez Leadership Award honors POC founders and executives, recognizing those whose leadership, creativity, and innovation have opened doors and influenced generations across the industry.
LIST OF CEREMONIES
1st | 2023 | Categories: 25 | Nominees (Jan. 13, 2023) | Recipients (Feb. 24, 2023) | Legacy Honorees: Film—Michelle Yeoh / TV—Shonda Rhimes
2nd | 2024 | Categories: 28 | Nominees (Jan. 8, 2024) | Recipients (Feb. 29, 2024) | Legacy Honorees: Film—Denzel Washington / TV—George Takei
3rd | 2025 | Categories: 29 | Nominees (Feb. 3, 2025) | Recipients (Apr. 18, 2025) | Legacy Honorees: Film—Samuel L. Jackson / TV—George Lopez
4th | 2026 | Categories: 31 | Nominees (Mar. 16, 2026) | Recipients (Jun. 5, 2026) | Legacy Honorees: Film—Angela Bassett / TV—Michele Val Jean
MOST NOMINATED
Throughout the history of the AHS Awards, several individuals and programs have been recognized multiple times for their outstanding contributions to film, television, and new media. The list below highlights those actors, personalities, and linear and nonlinear TV programs that have received three or more total nominations across all categories and ceremonies. This includes cumulative nominations for actors/actresses, TV presenters, TV news anchors, competitive series judges, TV personalities, talk show hosts, content creators, and program-level nominations in scripted, unscripted, and media-specific categories.
Actors & Media Personalities
NAME
Quinta Brunson
Saagar Enjeti & Krystal Ball
Steve Harvey
Tyler James Williams
Lionel Boyce
Zendaya Coleman
Ayo Edebiri
Lester Holt
Khabane “Khaby” Lame
George Lopez
Stephen Park
TOTAL NOMINATIONS
4
4
4
4
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
SCRIPTED TV SERIES
PROGRAM
Abbott Elementary
The Bear
Beyond the Gates
EastEnders
Industry
Bel-Air
FBI
General Hospital
Lopez vs Lopez
TOTAL NOMINATIONS
15
6
6
6
6
5
4
4
4
ROLE
Actress
News Anchor
Host
Actor
Actor
Actress
Actress
News Anchor
Content Creator
Actor
Talk Show Host
UNSCRIPTED TV SERIES
PROGRAM
Breaking Points
Family Feud
Jennifer Hudson Show
RuPaul’s Drag Race
NBC Nightly News
Sherri
Asian Boss
CBS This Mornings
TOTAL NOMINATIONS
8
8
8
8
6
6
4
4
FILM
Only films with four or more combined nominations (including
acting, writing, and directing) are listed.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – 5 nominations
Everything Everywhere All At Once – 5 nominations
Past Lives – 5 nominations
Didi – 4 nominations
Frankenstein – 4 nominations
Joy Ride – 4 nominations
Materialist – 4 nominations
Sinners – 4 nominations
Actors & Media Personalities
SCRIPTED TV
Winners
Over the AHS Awards' first three years, several standout individuals and productions have emerged as multi-award winners. The following section highlights only those actors, personalities, and linear and nonlinear TV programs that have received three or more total wins across all AHS Award ceremonies. These wins reflect a consistent level of excellence and recognition across categories and years.
PROGRAM
Abbott Elementary
EastEnders
Beef
Film
Only films with three or more wins (including acting, writing, and directing) are listed.
Past Lives – 4 wins
Sinners – 4 wins
Everything Everywhere All At Once – 3 wins
TOTAL WINS
9
5
3
UNSCRIPTED TV
PROGRAM
Breaking Points
RuPaul’s Drag Race
TOTAL WINS
6
5
NAME
Steve Harvey
Quinta Brunson
Tyler James Williams
TOTAL WINS
4
3
3
ROLE
Host
Actress
Actor