The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special is handed out annually at the Creative Arts Emmy Award ceremony. The category was called Outstanding Nonfiction Special prior to 2013 and Outstanding Informational Special before 1998.
Winners and nominations 1990s Year Program Producers Network 1998(50th)Vietnam POWs: Stories of SurvivalBob Reid, executive producer; Jacinda A. Davis, coordinating producer; Brian Leonard, producer/director/writerDiscoveryDead Blue: Surviving Depression Sheila Nevins, executive producer; Nancy Abraham, supervising producer; John Parsons Peditto, Sara M. Chereskin and Blanka Nedela, producers; Eames Yates, director HBODon Hewitt: 90 Minutes on 60 Minutes (American Masters)Susan Lacy, executive producer; Susan Steinberg, producer/director; Tamar Hacker, senior producerPBS4 Little Girls Sheila Nevins, executive producer; Spike Lee, producer/director; Samuel D. Pollard, producer; Jacqueline Glover, coordinating producer; Daphne McWilliams, line producer HBOWolves at Our DoorGaynelle Evans, executive producer; Jim Dutcher, producer; Mose Richards, writerDiscovery 1999(51st)Nominees/Winners 1999 Emmy Awards|Television AcademyThug Life in D.C. Sheila Nevins, executive producer; Nancy Abraham, supervising producer; Marc Levin, producer/director; Daphne Pinkerson, producerHBOAvalanche: The White Death Barry Nye, producer/director; Nicolas Noxon, producer; Steven Reich, writerNBCDying to Tell the StoryKathy Eldon, executive producer; Jacoba Atlas, supervising producer; Kyra Thompson, producer/writer/director; Victoria Waldock, producerTBSThe Farm: Angola, USA Michael Cascio, executive producer; Gayle Gilman, supervising producer; Jonathan Stack and Liz Garbus, producers A&ELenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth Sheila Nevins, executive producer; Anthony Stanislas Radziwill, executive producer; Robert B. Weide, producer/director/writerHBOLittle Dieter Needs to Fly (Cinemax Reel Life) Sheila Nevins, executive producer; Nancy Abraham, supervising producer; Werner Herzog, producer/writer/director; Lucki Stipetić and Andre Singer, producersCinemax
2000s Year Program Producers Network 2000(52nd)Children in WarSheila Nevins, executive producer; John Hoffman, supervising producer; Alan Raymond and Susan Raymond, producers/writers/directorsHBOAmerican HollowSheila Nevins, executive producer; Jacqueline Glover, supervising producer; Rory Kennedy, producer/director HBOCancer: Evolution to RevolutionAnthony Stanislas Radziwill, Kenneth Paul Rosenberg and Sheila Nevins, executive producers; John Hoffman, supervising producer; Joseph F. Lovett, producer/writer/directorParadise Lost 2: RevelationsSheila Nevins, executive producer; Nancy Abraham, supervising producer; Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, producers/directorsRaising the Mammoth Maurice Paleau, executive producer; Adrienne Ciuffo, producer/writer; Jean-Charles Deniau, directorDiscovery 2001(53rd)Scottsboro: An American Tragedy (American Experience)Awards|American Experience|PBS| Margaret Drain, executive producer; Mark Samels, supervising producer; Barak Goodman, producer/director/writer; Daniel Anker, producer/co-director|PBS|- |Dwarfs: Not a Fairy Tale (America Undercover) | Sheila Nevins, executive producer; Nancy Abraham, supervising producer; Lisa Abelow Hedley and Bonnie Strauss, producers/directors |HBO |- |Egypt Beyond the Pyramids |Nancy Dubuc, Craig Haffner and Donna E. Lusitana, executive producers; Raymond Bridgers, supervising producer; David de Vries, producer/director/writer; Peter Woodward, host |History |- |Half Past Autumn: The Life and Works of Gordon Parks | Craig Laurence Rice, executive producer/director; Cecil Cox and Sheila Nevins, executive producers; Jacqueline Glover and Lisa Heller, supervising producers; St. Clair Bourne and Denzel Washington, producers; Lou Potter, writer |rowspan=2 | HBO |- |Living Dolls: The Making of a Child Beauty Queen |Sheila Nevins, executive producer; Nancy Abraha, supervising producer; Shari Cookson, producer/director/writer; Linda Otto and Jean Guest, producers |- ! rowspan="6" style="text-align:center" | 2002(54th) |-style="background:#FAEB86" |9/11 |Jules Naudet, Gédéon Naudet and James Hanlon, executive producers/directors; Susan Zirinsky, Graydon Carter and David Friend, executive producers; Hal Gessner, supervising producer; Tom Forman, senior producer/writer; Richard Barber, Michael Maloy, Bruce Spiegel, Mead Stone and Paul Larossa, producers; Rob Klug, director; Greg Kandra, writer|CBS|- |The Human Face with John Cleese |Michael Mosley, Nicholas Rossiter and Nancy Lavin, executive producers; Sally George and Sharon Gillooly, producers; James Erskine and David Stewart, producers/directors; John Cleese, writer/host |TLC |- |In Memoriam: New York City |Jon Liebman and Peter W. Kunhardt, executive producers; Dyllan McGee, supervising producer; Lisa Heller, senior producer; John Hoffman, Sheila Nevins and Brad Grey, producers |HBO |- |Inside the Actors Studio: 100th Guest Special |James Lipton, executive producer/writer/host; Christian Barcellos and Frances Berwick, executive producers for Bravo; Michael Kostel and John Servidio, producers; Jeff Wurtz, director |Bravo |- |We Stand Alone Together: The Men of Easy Company |Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, executive producers; Gary Goetzman and Tony To, co-executive producers; Mark Cowen, producer/director; William Richter, producer/writer |HBO |- ! rowspan="6" style="text-align:center" | 2003(55th) |-style="background:#FAEB86" |Benjamin Franklin |Catherine Allan, executive producer; Ellen Hovde and Muffie Meyer, producers|PBS|- |Christopher Reeve: Courageous Steps |Rudy Bednar and Alastair Waddington, executive producers; Stuart Watts and Ian A. Hunt, producers; Christopher Reeve, narrator |ABC |- |The Day the Towers Fell |Lou Reda, executive producer; Dolores Gavin, supervising producer; Sammy Jackson, producer |History |- |Journeys with George |Sheila Nevins, executive producer; Julie Anderson, supervising producer; Alexandra Pelosi, producer |rowspan=2 | HBO |- |Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives |Sheila Nevins and Donna Brown Guillaume, executive producers; Lisa Heller, senior producer; Jacqueline Glover and Thomas Lennon, producers |- ! rowspan="6" style="text-align:center" | 2004(56th) |-style="background:#FAEB86" |The Forgetting: A Portrait of Alzheimer'sNaomi S. Boak, executive producer; Elizabeth Arledge, producerPBSAFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & VillainsGary Smith and Dann Netter, executive producers; Frederick S. Pierce, executive producer for AFI; Bob Gazzale, producerCBSBorn RichSheila Nevins, executive producer; Dirk Wittenborn, produced by; Jamie Johnson, producerHBOA Decade Under the InfluenceAlison Palmer Bourke, Caroline Kaplan and Jonathan Sehring, executive producers; Gini Reticker, Jerry Kupfer, Richard LaGravenese and Ted Demme, producersIFCFred Rogers: America's Favorite NeighborJocelyn Hough, executive producer; William H. Isler and Robert F. Petrilli, co-executive producers; Margaret Whitmer, Joseph J. Kennedy IV and Rick Sebak, producers; Michael Keaton, hostPBS 2005(57th)Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack JohnsonDavid Schaye, Paul Barnes and Ken Burns, producersPBSBeyond the Da Vinci CodeMargaret Kim, Robb Weller, Gary Grossman and Steve Lange, executive producers; Thomas Quinn, supervising producer; Rob Blumenstein, producerHistoryCary Grant: A Class Apart (American Masters)Tom Brown, executive producer for TCM; Roger Mayer and George Feltenstein, executive producers for Turner; Melissa Roller, supervising producer for TCM; Robert Trachtenberg, producerTCMInside the Actors Studio: 10th Anniversary SpecialJames Lipton, executive producer/host; Frances Berwick and Christian Barcellos, executive producers for Bravo; Alice Siess, producerBravoLive from New York: The First 5 Years of Saturday Night LiveKen Aymong and Rachel Talbot, supervising producers; Kenneth Bowser, produced byNBC 2006(58th)Rome: Engineering an EmpireDolores Gavin, Vincent Kralyevich, Bill Hunt and Kristine Sabat, executive producers; Christopher Cassel, producerHistoryAll Aboard! Rosie's Family CruiseSheila Nevins, Kelli O'Donnell and Rosie O'Donnell, executive producers; John Hoffman, producer; Shari Cookson, produced byHBOHow William Shatner Changed the WorldSusan Werbe, Alan Handel and Malcolm Clark, executive producersHistoryInside 9/11Jonathan Towers and Michael Cascio, executive producers; Nicole Rittenmeyer and Colette Beaudry, supervising producers; Bernard Dudek, Rachel Milton, Lance Hori and Alex Flaster, producersNat GeoStardust: The Bette Davis StoryTom Brown, George Feltenstein and Roger Mayer, executive producers; Brian Tessier and Melissa Roller, supervising producers; Peter Jones, producerTCM 2007(59th)Ghosts of Abu Ghraib Diana Barrett and Sheila Nevins, executive producers; Nancy Abraham, senior producer; Rory Kennedy, Liz Garbus and Jack Youngelson, producersHBOAFI's 100 Years…100 Cheers: America's Most Inspiring MoviesGary Smith, executive producer; Frederick S. Pierce, executive producer for AFI; Dann Netter and Bob Gazzale, producersCBSBlood DiamondsMargaret Kim and Bill Brummel, executive producers; June Molgaard, producerHistoryBrandoTom Brown, executive producer; Melissa Roller, supervising producer; Leslie Greif, Mimi Freedman and Joanne Rubino, producersTCMStar Wars: The Legacy RevealedKevin Burns, executive producer; Beth Dietrich, executive producer for History; Jim Ward and Tom Warner, executive producers for Lucasfilm; Kim Sheerin and Scott Hartford, co-executive producers; Steven Smith and David Comtois, producersHistory 2008(60th)Autism: The MusicalJonathan Murray, Janet Grillo and Kristen Stills, executive producers; Nancy Abraham, senior producer; Perrin Chiles, Tricia Regan and Sasha Alpert, producersHBOAFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition)Gary Smith, executive producer; Frederick S. Pierce, executive producer for AFI; Dann Netter and Bob Gazzale, producersCBSAlive Day Memories: Home from IraqSheila Nevins and James Gandolfini, executive producers; Alexandra E. Ryan, co-executive producer; Sara Bernstein, supervising producer; Ellen Goosenberg Kent, Jon Alpert and Matthew O'Neill, produced byHBOPioneers of Television: "Late Night: Johnny, Jack, Steve, and Merv"Steve Boettcher and Mike Trinklein, producersPBSThe Pixar StoryLeslie Iwerks, producerStarz 2009(61st)102 Minutes That Changed AmericaGreg Jacobs, Jon Siskel and Susan Werbe, executive producers; Nicole Rittenmeyer, producerHistoryThe Alzheimer's Project: Momentum in ScienceSheila Nevins and Maria Shriver, executive producers; John Hoffman, series producer/produced by; Susan Froemke, produced byHBOFarrah's StoryFarrah Fawcett and Craig J. Nevius, executive producers; Alexandra Gleysteen, executive producer for NBC; Robert Dean, producer for NBC; Alana Stewart, produced byNBCMichael J. Fox: Adventures of an Incurable OptimistMichael J. Fox, Nelle Fortenberry and Rudy Bednar, executive producers; Ann Reynolds, senior producer; Mary Hanan, producerABCRoman Polanski: Wanted and DesiredSteven Soderbergh and Randy Wooten, executive producers; Jeffrey Kusama-Hinte, Lila Yacoub and Marina Zenovich, produced byHBO
2010s