The Masked Singer, The Traitors and Primal Among 2026 Juried Emmy Winners
The Television Academy has named its 2026 juried Emmy winners, and the list spans reality TV costumes, hand-drawn animation and a virtual reality experience. The announcement came on August 12 from the Academy's official press release for the 78th Emmy Awards (Television Academy).
Juried Emmys work differently from the televised ceremony's voted categories. A panel of industry professionals judges each entry on its own merits rather than pitting nominees against each other in a popular vote. Everyone who meets the standard can receive an award, or none can — as happened this year in the outstanding motion design category, where no Emmy was given out at all (The Hollywood Reporter).
In the costume category for variety, nonfiction or reality programming, the honours went to two very different shows: Fox's The Masked Singer, the celebrity guessing game built around elaborate full-body disguises, and Peacock's The Traitors, the Scottish-castle reality competition where deception is the whole premise (The Hollywood Reporter).
The animation category, which recognises individual achievement rather than the show as a whole, spread its awards across five series. Two episodes of Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal on Adult Swim — 'Kingdom of Sorrow' and 'Vengeance of Death' — were among the winners, as were Disney+'s Eyes of Wakanda ('Into the Lion's Den') and Star Wars: Visions ('The Duel: Payback'). Prime Video's The Mighty Nein, an animated series based on the popular Critical Role tabletop campaign, was recognised for the episode 'Mote of Possibility' (The Hollywood Reporter).
A newer category, outstanding innovation in emerging media programming, went to Crafting Crimes, a Meta Quest virtual reality experience from developer TARGO (The Hollywood Reporter).
The Academy's press release also names The Black Banquet, a Peacock original from Studio Lambert, among the 2026 juried winners (Television Academy).
These juried awards will be presented during the Emmy Awards ceremony on September 5 and 6 at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live. The Academy has dropped the 'Creative Arts' label that previously distinguished these two nights from the main telecast, meaning both dates now fall under the single banner of the 78th Emmy Awards (Variety).
Mariska Hargitay is set to host the 78th Emmy Awards broadcast on NBC, and Michael J. Fox will receive the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award (Television Academy).
For viewers who follow costume design, animation craft or experimental media, the juried round is often where the more unusual recognition lands — a reality show built on giant animal suits sitting alongside a VR title and an Adult Swim prehistoric survival drama, all validated by working professionals in the same field.
