Black Reel Award for Outstanding Actress

This article lists the winners and nominees for the Black Reel Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture. The award recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role within the given eligible period.

Nia Long received the first award for The Best Man at the 1st Annual Black Reel Awards in 2000. Since its inception, the award has been given out to 21 actresses. With 6 nominations, Viola Davis hold the record for most nominations and tied with Sanaa Lathan for most wins with 2. Rosario Dawson is the most nominated actress in this category without a win. Gugu Mbatha-Raw is the only actress to earn multiple nominations in the same year for Belle & Beyond the Lights at the 14th Annual Black Reel Awards.

At age 9, Quvenzhane Wallis became the youngest actress to win this award for Beasts of the Southern Wild and at age 69, Irma P. Hall became the oldest winner in this category for The Ladykillers.

The award was discontinued at the 24th Black Reel Awards and merged with Outstanding Actor in favor of a single gender-neutral award, Outstanding Lead Performance.

Winners and nominees
Winners are listed first and highlighted in bold.

Multiple wins

 * 2 Wins
 * Viola Davis
 * Sanaa Lathan

Multiple nominations

 * 6 Nominations
 * Viola Davis


 * 5 Nominations
 * Halle Berry
 * Sanaa Lathan


 * 4 Nominations
 * Rosario Dawson
 * Queen Latifah


 * 3 Nominations
 * Angela Bassett
 * Kimberly Elise
 * Taraji P. Henson
 * Nia Long
 * Gugu Mbatha-Raw
 * Thandiwe Newton
 * Zoe Saldana
 * Tessa Thompson
 * Alfre Woodard


 * 2 Nominations
 * Nicole Beharie
 * Beyoncé
 * Regina Hall
 * Jennifer Hudson
 * Regina King
 * Sophie Okonedo
 * Keke Palmer
 * Amandla Stenberg
 * Gabrielle Union
 * Quvenzhané Wallis
 * Kerry Washington

Multiple nominations from the same film

 * Kerry Washington and Regina King in Ray (2005)
 * Queen Latifah (winner) and Jennifer Hudson in The Secret Life of Bees (2008)
 * Sanaa Lathan and Alfre Woodard in The Family That Preys (2008)
 * Kimberly Elise, Thandiwe Newton & Anika Noni Rose in For Colored Girls (2011)