This article lists the winners and nominees for the Black Reel Award for Outstanding Breakthrough Performance. Academy Award-nominated or winning performances also honored with nominations or wins at the Black Reel Awards include Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls), Octavia Spencer (The Help), Quvenzhané Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild) and Gabourey Sidibe (Precious).
During the 2014 ceremony, the category was divided into gender-specific categories (Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Male and Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Female). At the 2024 ceremony, the category was reintegrated into a single award and expanded to include ten nominees.
Winners and nominees Winners are listed first and highlighted in bold.
2000s Year Actor / Actress Film Ref 2003 Derek Luke Antwone Fisher 2003 Black Reel Awards Beyoncé Austin Powers in Goldmember Nick Cannon Drumline Raven Goodwin Lovely & Amazing Lil' Bow Wow Like Mike 2004 Naomie Harris 28 Days Later 2004 Black Reel Awards Romeo Miller Honey Wentworth Miller The Human Stain 2005 Sharon Warren Ray 2005 Black Reel Awards Anthony Mackie She Hate Me C.J. Sanders Ray 2006 Brandon T. Jackson Roll Bounce 2006 Black Reel Awards Ashanti Coach Carter Tyler Perry Diary of a Mad Black Woman 2007 Jennifer Hudson Dreamgirls | rowspan="6" align="center"| 2007 Black Reel Awards |- | Shareeka Epps | Half Nelson |- | Keke Palmer | Akeelah and the Bee |- | Paula Patton | Déjà Vu |- | Jaden Smith | The Pursuit of Happyness |- | rowspan="6" align="center"| 2008 |- style="background:#B0C4DE" | Dev Patel| Slumdog Millionaire 2008 Black Reel Awards Omar Benson Miller Miracle at St. Anna Columbus Short Cadillac Records Saïd Taghmaoui Traitor Tristan Wilds The Secret Life of Bees
2010s Year Actor / Actress Film Ref 2010 Gabourey Sidibe Precious | rowspan="6" align="center"| 2010 Black Reel Awards |- | Quinton Aaron | The Blind Side |- | Nicole Beharie | American Violet |- | Souléymane Sy Savané | Goodbye Solo |- | Jamal Woolard | Notorious |- | rowspan="6" align="center"| 2011 |- style="background:#B0C4DE" | Tessa Thompson| For Colored Girls 2011 Black Reel Awards Amari Cheatom Night Catches Us Yaya DaCosta The Kids Are All Right Omari Hardwick For Colored Girls Zoë Kravitz It's Kind of a Funny Story 2012 Adepero Oduye Pariah 2012 Black Reel Awards John Boyega Attack the Block Gugu Mbatha-Raw Larry Crowne Octavia Spencer The Help Kim Wayans Pariah 2013 Quvenzhané Wallis Beasts of the Southern Wild Emayatzy Corinealdi Middle of Nowhere Dwight Henry Beasts of the Southern Wild Amandla Stenberg The Hunger Games Omar Sy The Intouchables
2020s Year Actor / Actress Film Ref 2024 Fantasia Barrino The Color Purple Halle Bailey The Little Mermaid Danielle Brooks The Color Purple Jerrod Carmichael Poor Things Archie Madekwe Gran Turismo Phylicia Pearl Mpasi The Color Purple Tia Nomore Earth Mama Vivian Oparah Rye Lane Dewayne Perkins The Blackening Teyana Taylor A Thousand and One 2025 Clarence Maclin Sing Sing Naomi Ackie Blink Twice Ryan Destiny The Fire Inside Ray Fisher The Piano Lesson Elliott Heffernan Blitz Ethan Herisse Nickel Boys Blake Cameron James We Grown Now Jharrel Jerome Unstoppable Lamorne Morris Saturday Night Brandon Wilson Nickel Boys 2026 Miles Caton Sinners Susan Chardy On Becoming a Guinea Fowl Naya Desir-Johnson Sarah's Oil Damson Idris F1 Chase Infiniti One Battle After Another Jayme Lawson Sinners Abou Sangaré Souleymane's Story SZA One of Them Days ASAP Rocky Highest 2 Lowest Tyriq Withers Him
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