# NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series

This article lists the winners and nominees for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series. The award was first given during the 2007 ceremony and since its conception, Shonda Rhimes holds the record for the most wins with five and is currently the only writer to win in this category more than once.

## Winners and nominees

Winners are listed first and highlighted in bold.

### 2000s

| Year | Writer | Series | Episode |
| 2007 |
| 2007 | Shonda Rhimes | Grey's Anatomy | "It's the End of the World" |
| 2007 | Steven Maeda | Day Break | "What if He Lets Her Go" |
| 2007 | Aaron Rahsaan Thomas | Friday Night Lights | "Full Hearts" |
| 2007 | Naren Shankar | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | "Killer" |
| 2007 | Janine Sherman Barrois | ER | "Darfur" |
| 2008 | | | |
| 2008 | Shonda Rhimes and Krista Vernoff | Grey's Anatomy | "A Change is Gonna Come" |
| 2008 | Natalie Chaidez | Heroes | "The Fix" |
| 2008 | Kathleen McGhee-Anderson and Anthony Sparks | Lincoln Heights | "The Vision" |
| 2008 | Shonda Rhimes | Private | "In Which We Meet Addison, a Nice Girl From Somewhere Else" |
| 2008 | Janine Sherman Barrois | ER | "Breach of Trust" |
| 2009 | | | |
| 2009 | Shonda Rhimes | Grey's Anatomy | "Freedom" (Parts I and II) |
| 2009 | Liz Friedman and Sara Hess | House | "Lucky Thirteen" |
| 2009 | Kathleen McGhee-Anderson | Lincoln Heights | "Glass House" |
| 2009 | Aaron Rahsaan Thomas | Friday Night Lights | "Leave No One Behind" |
| 2009 | Janine Sherman Barrois | ER | "Parental Guidance" |

### 2010s

| Year | Writer | Series | Episode |
| 2010 |
| 2010 | Shonda Rhimes | Grey's Anatomy | "What a Difference a Day Makes" |
| 2010 | Zoanne Clack | Grey's Anatomy | "Stand By Me" |
| 2010 | Sara Hess | House | "The Greater Good" |
| 2010 | Kathleen McGhee-Anderson | Lincoln Heights | "Home Again" |
| 2010 | Alexander Woo | True Blood | "Beyond Here Lies Nothin'" |
| 2011 | | | |
| 2011 | Shonda Rhimes | Private Practice | "Did You Hear What Happened to Charlotte King?" |
| 2011 | Leyani Diaz and Vanessa Rojas | The Event | "Loyalty" |
| 2011 | Judy McCreary | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | "Disabled" |
| 2011 | Janine Sherman Barrois | Criminal Minds | "Remembrance of Things Past" |
| 2011 | Alexander Woo | True Blood | "It Hurts Me Too" |
| 2012 | | | |
| 2012 | Lolis Eric Elie | Treme | "Santa Claus, Do You Ever Get the Blues?" |
| 2012 | Zoanne Clack | Grey's Anatomy | "I Will Survive" |
| 2012 | Cheo Hodari Coker | Southland | "Punching Water" |
| 2012 | Janine Sherman Barrois | Criminal Minds | "The Bittersweet Science" |
| 2012 | Pam Veasey | Ringer | "Oh Gawd, There's Two of Them?" |
| 2013 | | | |
| 2013 | Cheo Hodari Coker | Southland | "God's Work" |
| 2013 | Zoanne Clack | Grey's Anatomy | "This Magic Moment" |
| 2013 | Shonda Rhimes | Grey's Anatomy | "Flight" |
| 2013 | Shonda Rhimes | Scandal | "Sweet Baby" |
| 2013 | Janine Sherman Barrois | Criminal Minds | "The Pact" |
| 2014 | | | |
| 2014 | Janine Sherman Barrois | Criminal Minds | "Strange Fruit" |
| 2014 | Karin Gist | Revenge | "Mercy" |
| 2014 | Sara Hess | Orange Is the New Black | "Blood Donut" |
| 2014 | Damian Kindler and Chitra Elizabeth Sampath | Sleepy Hollow | "Sanctuary" |
| 2014 | Aaron Rahsaan Thomas | Southland | "Babel" |
| 2015 | | | |
| 2015 | Erika Green Swafford | How to Get Away with Murder | "Let's Get to Scooping" |
| 2015 | Mara Brock Akil | Being Mary Jane | "Uber Love" |
| 2015 | Zoanne Clack | Grey's Anatomy | "You Be Illin'" |
| 2015 | Warren Leight and Julie Martin | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | "American Disgrace" |
| 2015 | Zahir McGhee | Scandal | "Mama Said Knock You Out" |
| 2016 | | | |
| 2016 | Mara Brock Akil, Jameal Turner and Keli Goff | Being Mary Jane | "Sparrow" |
| 2016 | Lee Daniels | Empire | "Pilot" |
| 2016 | Erika Green Swafford and Doug Stockstill | How to Get Away with Murder | "Mama's Here Now" |
| 2016 | LaToya Morgan | Turn: Washington's Spies | "False Flag" |
| 2016 | John Ridley | American Crime | "Episode 1" |
| 2017 | | | |
| 2017 | Ava DuVernay | Queen Sugar | "First Things First" |
| 2017 | Joe Robert Cole | The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story | "The Race Card" |
| 2017 | Akela Cooper | Luke Cage | "Manifest" |
| 2017 | LaToya Morgan | Turn: Washington's Spies | "Benediction" |
| 2017 | Anthony Sparks | Queen Sugar | "By Any Chance" |
| 2018 | | | |
| 2018 | Gina Prince-Bythewood | Shots Fired | "Hour One: Pilot" |
| 2018 | Anthony Sparks | Queen Sugar | "What Do I Care For Morning" |
| 2018 | Ava DuVernay | Queen Sugar | "Dream Variations" |
| 2018 | Erica L. Anderson | Greenleaf | "The Bear" |
| 2018 | Vera Herbert | This Is Us | "Still Here" |
| 2019 | | | |
| 2019 | Kay Oyegun | This Is Us | "This Big, Amazing, Beautiful Life" |
| 2019 | Janine Sherman Barrois | Claws | "Cracker Casserole" |
| 2019 | Lena Waithe | The Chi | "Pilot" |
| 2019 | Patrick Joseph Charles | Black Lightning | "Sins of the Father: The Book of Redemption" |
| 2019 | Lena Waithe & Dime Davis | The Chi | "The Whistle" |

### 2020s

| Year | Writer | Series | Episode |
| 2020 |
| 2020 | Nichelle Tramble Spellman | Truth Be Told | "Monster" |
| 2020 | Nkechi Okoro Carroll | All American | "Hussle & Motivate" |
| 2020 | Pat Charles | Black Lightning | "The Book of Secrets: Chapter One: Prodigal Son" |
| 2020 | Damon Lindelof & Cord Jefferson | Watchmen | "This Extraordinary Being" |
| 2020 | Ava DuVernay & Michael Starrbury | When They See Us | "Part Four" |
| 2021 | | | |
| 2021 | Attica Locke | Little Fires Everywhere | "The Spider Web" |
| 2021 | Erika L. Johnson & Mark Richard | The Good Lord Bird | "A Wicked Plot" |
| 2021 | Jessica Lamour | Little Voice | "Love Hurts" |
| 2021 | Katori Hall | P-Valley | "Perpetratin" |
| 2021 | Tanya Barfield | Mrs. America | "Shirley" |
| 2022 | | | |
| 2022 | Davita Scarlett | The Good Fight | "And the Firm Had Two Partners" |
| 2022 | Nkechi Okoro Carroll | All American | "Homecoming" |
| 2022 | Malcolm Spellman | The Falcon and the Winter Soldier | "New World Order" |
| 2022 | Aurin Squire | Evil | "C Is for Cop" |
| 2022 | Steven Canals, Janet Mock, Our Lady J, Brad Falchuk, Ryan Murphy | Pose | "Series Finale" |

## Multiple wins and nominations
### Wins
#### 5 wins

* Shonda Rhimes