Unlike the Primetime Emmy Award categories, none of the News and Documentary categories accept or consider reality shows as nominees.
However, many of the News and Documentary categories do place independently-produced, low budget documentaries in direct competition with network-produced, heavily resourced nonfiction programming.
The News and Documentaries Emmy Award Categories presented to honor documentaries include:
- Outstanding Continuing Coverage Of a News Story - Long Form
- Outstanding Investigative Journalism - Long Form
- Outstanding Informational Programming - Long Form
- Outstanding Historical Programming - Long Form
- Outstanding Business and Economic Reporting - Long Form
- Outstanding Arts & Culture Programming
- Outstanding Science and Technology Programming
- Outstanding Nature Programming
- Best Documentary
- New Approaches To News & Documentary Programming: Current News Coverage
- New Approaches To News & Documentary Programming: Documentaries
- New Approaches To News & Documentary Programming: Arts, Lifestyle & Culture
- Outstanding Writing
- Outstanding Research
- Outstanding Cinematography - Nature
- Outstanding Cinematography - News Coverage /Documentaries
- Outstanding Editing
- Outstanding Editing - Quick Turnaround
- Outstanding Graphic Design & Art Direction
- Outstanding Music & Sound
- Outstanding Lighting Direction & Scenic Design
You'll notice that many of News and Documentaries Emmy Awards are actually presented for 'programming.' That suggests that although the specific nominee is a documentary film, the programming entity -- be it HBO or POV or another television network or online presenter -- is being awarded for its nonfiction programming. In many instances, the network or programming entity may being recognized because it has funded the documentary production and/or may have provided editorial guidance during the making of a nonfiction film, or during the reshaping of a theatrically released documentary for presentation on television.
See the Emmy Awards Overview for more information about Emmy Awards for nonfiction programming and production.