The documentary “Prime Minister,” chronicling former New Zealand Prime Minister Dame Jacinda Ardern’s time in office, won the prestigious Best Documentary award at the 2026 News & Documentary Emmy Awards on Night Two of the ceremony held Thursday at Palladium Times Square.
Explore the award-winning documentary 'Prime Minister' about Jacinda Ardern's transformative leadership and its impact.
The film, produced by Madison Wells, HBO Documentary Films, CNN Films, Dark Doris, and Divergent Pictures, received two Emmy nominations in total, including Outstanding Politics and Government Documentary.
Clark Gayford, Ardern’s husband, expressed his surprise at the nominations, calling the recognition “bewildering and incredible.”
“Prime Minister” beat out strong competition in the Best Documentary category, including “2000 Meters to Andriivka” from FRONTLINE/PBS, which earned six Emmy nominations, as well as “Love + War,” “Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time,” “Black Snow,” “Life After,” “Turning Point: The Vietnam War,” and “Union.”
National Geographic dominated the nominations this year, leading all networks and production companies with the most entries across both nights of the ceremony.
The 47th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards were held over two nights on May 27-28, 2026, with Night One recognizing news categories and Night Two honoring documentary programming. The awards are presented by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and celebrate excellence in journalism and storytelling from the 2025 eligibility year.
