This year, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) is set to host the 52nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards, a ceremony that honors the best in daytime television programming. The event promises to be a spectacular celebration of talent both on-screen and behind the scenes. From beloved soap operas to entertaining talk shows and captivating lifestyle programs, the awards recognize the diverse landscape of daytime media. Fans eagerly await to see if their favorite shows and personalities will take home one of the coveted statuettes.

As the excitement builds, here is a comprehensive guide to everything viewers need to know about the upcoming ceremony.

The Daytime Emmy Awards are a prestigious annual event presented by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS). They recognize excellence in a wide array of daytime television programming, including daytime dramas, talk shows, culinary series, and lifestyle programs. The awards have a long-standing history of honoring the creative and technical achievements of individuals and teams who produce and star in television shows airing during the daytime.

The awards were first introduced in 1974 as a part of the Primetime Emmy Awards. However, due to the increasing volume and importance of daytime programming, they were separated into their own distinct ceremony to give these shows the recognition they deserved. Since then, the Daytime Emmys have grown in stature and significance, becoming a highlight of the television industry calendar.

The selection process for the awards is meticulous, involving a comprehensive evaluation of submissions by peer-group judges. These judges are professionals within their respective fields, ensuring that the nominees and winners are chosen based on merit and industry standards. This year, the NATAS has made a notable change by enforcing a longstanding rule that affects nominations in categories with fewer than ten submissions.

 This decision aims to ensure the integrity of the competition and maintain a high standard of excellence for all nominees. As a result of this rule, some shows, such as The Bold and the Beautiful, The Bay, and Neighbours, received fewer nominations than in previous years in categories like Daytime Drama, Writing, and Directing.

The 52nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will also be a milestone for the industry, as the organization will hold a single ceremony to honor all categories, including the Creative Arts Emmy Awards. By combining the ceremonies, NATAS aims to create a more inclusive and unified celebration, bringing together every individual who contributes to the creation of daytime television.

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The event's date and location are set, offering a glimpse of the grandeur to come.

The 52nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards are scheduled to take place on Friday, October 17, 2025. The ceremony will return to the elegant Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California. The live telecast of the awards ceremony is expected to begin at 8:00 p.m. ET (5:00 p.m. PT). The event is scheduled to run for approximately three hours, concluding around 11:00 p.m. ET.

With the ceremony approaching, viewers have several options to witness the event live.

For the first time in several years, the Daytime Emmy Awards will not be broadcast on a traditional television network like CBS and Paramount+. Instead, the 52nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be available exclusively through a dedicated streaming platform: watch.theemmys.tv and its associated applications. This streaming-only approach makes the ceremony more accessible to a global audience, as viewers will not be required to have a television provider login to access the content.

The nominations highlight the year's top achievements, setting the stage for an evening of competition.

The nominations for the 52nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards showcase a diverse and competitive field of television programming and talent. Leading the nominations for daytime dramas is The Young and the Restless, which secured an impressive 19 nominations. It is followed by General Hospital with 16 nominations and Days of Our Lives with 13. The Bold and the Beautiful received four nominations, while The Bay and Neighbours each received one.

In the acting categories, the competition is fierce. For Lead Performance in a Daytime Drama Series Actress, nominees include Eileen Davidson, Melissa Claire Egan, Michelle Stafford, and Sharon Case from The Young and the Restless, and Laura Wright and Nancy Lee Grahn from General Hospital. In the Lead Performance in a Daytime Drama Series Actor category, the nominees are Dominic Zamprogna from General Hospital; Eric Martsolf, Greg Rikaart, and Paul Telfer from Days of our Lives; and Peter Bergman from The Young and the Restless.

The awards also recognize outstanding performances in other genres. In the Daytime Talk Series Host category, the nominees are Drew Barrymore (The Drew Barrymore Show), Jenna Bush Hager and Hoda Kotb (TODAY with Hoda and Jenna), Jennifer Hudson (The Jennifer Hudson Show), Kelly Clarkson (The Kelly Clarkson Show), and Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa (Live with Kelly and Mark). The Culinary Host category features notable names such as Emeril Lagasse, Ina Garten, Joanna Gaines, Kardea Brown, and Michael Symon.

Beyond performance and hosting, the nominations also honor the creative and technical teams that work tirelessly behind the scenes. Categories such as Writing Team, Directing Team, Cinematography, and Editing all recognize the collaborative effort required to produce high-quality television. Among the notable nominees in these categories are shows like Living with Leopards, National Parks: USA, and Secret Lives of Orangutans, which received multiple nominations for their technical and artistic merits. The diversity of the nominees, from traditional daytime dramas to non-fiction and instructional programs, demonstrates the breadth of talent within the daytime television landscape.

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