PBS Wins 14 News and Documentary Emmy Awards

September 30, 2021

By Madisson Haynes

PBS has won 14 2021 Emmy Awards, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced September 28! Additionally, this marks FRONTLINE's 100th News & Documentary Emmys® win to date.  

PBS led all networks in nominations for the 42nd annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards, according to The Emmys website. PBS landed 52 nominations overall, including for FRONTLINE, Independent Lens, POV, NOVA, PBS NewsHour and Nature. 

National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences said over 2,200 submissions were entered from 2020 content. CNN received the next highest number of nominations, 41. 

FRONTLINE landed the most nominations overall with 19. See a full list of PBS's Emmy nominees below. You can watch these videos and more on the PBS Video App.

List of Winners

Taliban Country |Outstanding Video Journalism: News

Love, Life & The Virus |Best Story in a Newsmagazine

The Luanda Leaks|Outstanding Investigative Report in a Newsmagazine

Desperate Journey | Outstanding Continuing Coverage of a News Story in a Newscast

Amazon Empire: The Rise and Reign of Jeff Bezos | Outstanding Business and Economic Documentary

Once Upon A Time In Iraq | Outstanding Historical Documentary

Belly of the Beast | Outstanding Current Affairs Documentary

Feels Good Man | Outstanding Research: Documentary

The Love Bugs | Outstanding Short Documentary

The Rescue List | Outstanding Social Issue Documentary

Miles Davis: Birth Of The Cool | Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary

Primates | Outstanding Music Composition

News and Documentary Nominees

Below is a preview of a few of the Emmy nominees

Love, Life & The Virus | Outstanding Feature Story in a Newsmagazine

Belly of the Beast | Best Documentary, Outstanding Current Affairs Documentary

Building the American Dream | Outstanding Business and Economic Documentary

Nature's Fear Factor | Outstanding Nature Documentary

Rewind | Outstanding Social Issue Documentary, Outstanding Direction: Documentary

Amazon Empire: The Rise and Reign of Jeff Bezos |Outstanding Business and Economic Documentary, Outstanding Promotional Announcement

Full List of Nominees

Outstanding Continuing Coverage of a News Story in a Newscast

• PBS NewsHour, "Inside Venezuela" (PBS)
• PBS NewsHour, "Desperate Journey" (PBS)
• PBS NewsHour, "Searching for Justice" (PBS)

Outstanding Continuing Coverage of a News Story in a Newsmagazine

• FRONTLINE, "Taliban Country" (PBS)
• FRONTLINE in partnership with The Marshall Project, Pulitzer Center, "Undocumented in the Pandemic" (PBS)

Outstanding Feature Story in a Newsmagazine

• FRONTLINE, "Love, Life & The Virus" (PBS)

Outstanding Investigative Report in a Newsmagazine

• FRONTLINE in partnership with The International Consortium ofInvestigative Journalists, "The Luanda Leaks" (PBS)

Outstanding Health or Medical Coverage

• PBS NewsHour, "Best Health Care?" (PBS)

Best Documentary

• Frontline, "Once Upon A Time In Iraq" (PBS)
• Independent Lens, "Belly of the Beast" (PBS)
• POV, "Advocate" (PBS)

Outstanding Current Affairs Documentary

• FRONTLINE, "United States of Conspiracy" (PBS)
• FRONTLINE, "Inside Italy’s COVID War" (PBS)
• Independent Lens, "Belly of the Beast" (PBS)
   

Outstanding Politics and Government Documentary

• POV, "Advocate" (PBS)
• POV, "Softie" (PBS)

Outstanding Social Issue Documentary

• Independent Lens, "Rewind" (PBS)
• "Not Done: Women Remaking America" (PBS)
• POV, "The Rescue List" (PBS)

Outstanding Investigative Documentary 

• FRONTLINE, "Return From ISIS" (PBS)

Outstanding Historical Documentary

• FRONTLINE, "Once Upon A Time In Iraq" (PBS)

Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary

• "Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool" (PBS)
• POV, “Our Time Machine” (PBS)

Outstanding Science and Technology Documentary

• "Ken Burns Presents The Gene: An Intimate History" (PBS)
• Nova, "Human Nature" (PBS)

Outstanding Nature Documentary

• Nature, "Cuba’s Wild Revolution" (PBS)
• Nova, "Nature’s Fear Factor" (PBS)

Outstanding Business and Economic Documentary

• FRONTLINE, "Amazon Empire: The Rise and Reign of Jeff Bezos" (PBS)
• FRONTLINE in partnership with Financial Times, "Opioids, Inc." (PBS)
• Voces, "Building the American Dream" (PBS)

Outstanding Short Documentary

• FRONTLINE in partnership with The Marshall Project, World Channel, "Tutwiler" (PBS)
• POV Shorts, "The Love Bugs" (PBS)

Outstanding Writing: Documentary

• FRONTLINE, "Policing the Police 2020" (PBS)
• FRONTLINE in partnership with Financial Times, "Opioids, Inc." (PBS)
• FRONTLINE, "Amazon Empire: The Rise and Reign of Jeff Bezos" (PBS)

Outstanding Direction: Documentary

• Frontline, "Inside Italy’s COVID War" (PBS)
• Independent Lens, "Belly of the Beast" (PBS)
• Independent Lens, "Rewind" (PBS)

Outstanding Cinematography: Documentary

• Nature, "Cuba’s Wild Revolution" (PBS)

Outstanding Research Documentary

• Independent Lens, "Feels Good Man" (PBS)

Outstanding Editing, Documentary

• Independent Lens, "Rewind" (PBS)
• Independent Lens, "Belly of the Beast" (PBS)
• NOVA, "Human Nature" (PBS)

Outstanding Graphic Design and Art Direction: Documentary

• NOVA, "Human Nature" (PBS)

Outstanding Music Composition

• POV, "The Love Bugs" (PBS)
• "Primates" (PBS)

Outstanding Sound

• Great Performances, "Now Hear This: The Schubert Generation" (PBS)
• "Miles Davis, Birth of the Cool" (PBS)
• Nature, "Cuba's Wild Revolution" (PBS)

Outstanding Promotional Announcement

• FRONTLINE, "Amazon Empire: The Rise and Reign of Jeff Bezos Trailer" (PBS)