RuPaul's Drag Race is an American reality series wherein RuPaul and a panel of judges set contestants drag-related challenges. The program has received several awards and nominations including twenty-seven Primetime Emmy Awards, three Producers Guild of America Awards, six MTV Movie & TV Awards and two GLAAD Media Awards, among others.
The show was first aired in 2009 on Logo TV, the following year it won Outstanding Reality Program at the 21st GLAAD Media Awards while in 2011 it received its first Critics' Choice Television Award nomination for Best Reality Series – Competition. The program continued to be recognized at the Critics' Choice Television Awards, with RuPaul receiving nominations for Best Reality Show Host in 2012, 2014 and 2018, winning the latter.
In 2014, the show won the TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Reality Programming while in 2015 it received its first Primetime Emmy Award nomination with Mathu Andersen being nominated for Outstanding Makeup for a Multi-Camera Series or Special (Non-Prosthetic) for his work in the seventh season episode "ShakesQueer". The next year, RuPaul won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program, the first of eight consecutive wins in the category.
In 2017 the program moved to VH1 which brought more exposure to the program and made it a frequent nominee at the Primetime Emmy Awards receiving several awards and nominations for each season ever since. In 2018, the program won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality Competition Program, an award it has won four consecutive times. The program has also received nominations from several guilds such as the Art Directors Guild, the Costume Designers Guild and the Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild.
Some segments of the program have also been recognized. The Untucked series won Best Unstructured Series at the 4th Critics' Choice Real TV Awards and Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program at the 73rd Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards. The Whatcha Packin series, hosted by Michelle Visage was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series in 2022.
Artios Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 2018Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Reality SeriesGoloka Bolte, Ethan Petersen 2019 2020 2022 2024 Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Reality Series (Competition) 2025
Art Directors Guild Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 2021 Excellence in Production Design for a Variety, Reality or Competition Series James McGowan (for "Condragulations", "Bossy Rossy RuBoot", "Gettin' Lucky") 2022 Gianna Costa 2023 Gianna Costa 2024 Gianna Costa, Jen Chu
Astra Creative Arts TV Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 2023 Best Cable Reality or Competition Series RuPaul's Drag Race RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked Best Talk Series RuPaul's Drag Race: The Pit Stop with Bianca del Rio Best Short Form Series RuPaul's Drag Race's Whatcha Packin' with Michelle Visage Best Contemporary Costumes RuPaul's Drag Race
Costume Designers Guild Awards Year Category Nominated work Result2018Excellence in Variety, Reality-Competition, Live Television Zaldy 2019 Zaldy (for "Whatcha Unpackin?")
Critics' Choice Television Awards The Critics' Choice Television Awards are presented annually since 2011 by the Broadcast Television Journalists Association. The awards were launched "to enhance access for broadcast journalists covering the television industry". Year Category Nominated work Result 2011 Best Reality Series – Competition RuPaul's Drag Race 2012Best Reality Show HostRuPaul 2014 2018 Best Reality Series – Competition RuPaul's Drag Race
Critics' Choice Real TV Awards The Critics' Choice Real TV Awards, presented by the Broadcast Television Journalists Association and NPACT, which recognizes excellence in nonfiction, unscripted and reality programming across broadcast, cable and streaming platforms.
Year Category Nominated work Result 2019 Best Competition Series RuPaul's Drag Race Best Unstructured Series RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked Ensemble Cast in an Unscripted Series RuPaul's Drag Race Show Host RuPaul Female Star of the Year Michelle Visage Male Star of the Year RuPaul 2020 Best Competition Series RuPaul's Drag Race Best Unstructured Series RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked Ensemble Cast in an Unscripted Series RuPaul's Drag Race Show Host RuPaul Female Star of the Year Michelle Visage Male Star of the Year RuPaul 2021 Best Competition Series RuPaul's Drag Race Best Unstructured Series RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked Ensemble Cast in an Unscripted Series RuPaul's Drag Race Show Host RuPaul Female Star of the Year Michelle Visage Male Star of the Year RuPaul 2022 Best Competition Series RuPaul's Drag Race Best Unstructured Series RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked Best Ensemble Cast in an Unscripted Series RuPaul's Drag Race Best Show HostRuPaul Male Star of the Year Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Production World of Wonder
Dorian Awards The Dorian Awards are presented by GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics and go to film and television both mainstream and LGBTQ-centric. Year Category Nominated work Result2011 LGBT-Themed Show of the Year RuPaul's Drag Race 2012 LGBT-Themed Show of the Year 2014 LGBT Show of the Year 2017 LGBTQ TV Show of the Year RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Campy TV Show of the Year 2018 LGBTQ TV Show of the YearRuPaul's Drag Race Campy TV Show of the Year TV Musical Performance of the Year Sasha Velour, “So Emotional,” RuPaul's Drag Race 2019 Campy TV Show of the YearRuPaul's Drag Race 2020 Campy TV Show of the Year Best LGBTQ TV Show Campiest TV Show 2021 Best Reality Show
Note': From 2009, the group honored film and TV together, but in 2020 began to award movies and programs at separate times of the year. This explains the overlap of award categories that year.
GLAAD Awards Year Category Nominated work Result2010 Outstanding Reality Competition ProgramRuPaul's Drag Race 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024
Astra TV Awards / Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards Known as the Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards for first and second edition, then as the Astra TV Awards starting in 2023. Year Category Nominated work Result2021Best Broadcast Network or Cable Docuseries, Documentary Television Movie, or Non-Fiction SeriesRuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked!"Ted Lasso leads 1st Annual HCA TV Awards with 4 wins" (Press release). Hollywood Critics Association. August 29, 2021. Retrieved August 29, 2021.Best Cable or Streaming Reality Series, Competition Series, or Game ShowRuPaul's Drag Race2022 Best Cable Reality Show or Competition Series Best Streaming Reality Show or Competition SeriesRuPaul's Drag Race All Stars2024Best Competition SeriesRuPaul's Drag RaceBest Reality SeriesBest Short FormRuPaul's Drag Race: Fashion Photo Ruview2025Best Reality Competition SeriesRuPaul's Drag RaceThe 2025 Astra TV Awards Honorees Have Been Revealed" (Press release). The Astras. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 2020 Best Contemporary Makeup in a Television Series, Limited or Miniseries or Television New Media Series Natasha Marcelina, Jen Fregozo Best Contemporary Hair Styling in a Television Series, Limited or Miniseries or Television New Media Series Curtis Foreman, Ryan Randall 2021 Best Contemporary Makeup in a Television Series, Limited or Miniseries or Television New Media Series David Petruschin, Jen Fregozo, Nicole Faulkner Best Contemporary Hair Styling in a Television Series, Limited or Miniseries or Television New Media Series Curtis Foreman, Ryan Randall
MTV Movie & TV Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 2017 Best Reality Competition RuPaul's Drag Race Best Host RuPaul 2018 Best Reality Series/Franchise RuPaul's Drag Race 2019 Best Host RuPaul Best Meme-able Moment Asia O'Hara's butterfly finale fail 2021 Best Competition SeriesRuPaul's Drag Race Best Reality Cast Best Host RuPaul 2022 Best Competition Series RuPaul's Drag Race Best Host RuPaul Best Reality Star Willow Pill Best Fight Bosco vs. Lady Camden
NAACP Image Awards Year Category Nominated work Result2021 Outstanding Host in a Reality/Reality Competition, Game Show or Variety (Series or Special) - Individual or Ensemble RuPaul2024 Outstanding Short-Form Series - Reality/Nonfiction RuPaul's Drag Race
NewNowNext Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 2009 Most Addictive Reality Star Ongina 2010 Best New Indulgence RuPaul's Drag Race Most Addictive Reality Star Jujubee 2011 Carmen Carrera 2012 Willam 2014Best New TV Personality Bianca Del Rio
People's Choice Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 2018Competition ShowRuPaul's Drag Race 2019 Competition Contestant Vanessa Vanjie Mateo 2020 Competition Show RuPaul's Drag Race Competition Contestant Jaida Essence Hall Gigi Goode 2021 Competition Show RuPaul's Drag Race Competition Contestant Gottmik Symone 2022 Competition Show RuPaul's Drag Race Competition Contestant Bosco Willow Pill 2024 The Competition Show of the Year RuPaul's Drag Race The Competition Contestant of the Year Anetra Sasha Colby The Host of the Year RuPaul
Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards are given by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, an organisation founded in 1946, for television shows broadcast or available for download and streaming in America. The main award ceremony is the Primetime Emmy Award, whilst Creative Arts Emmy Awards are given in technical, creative, and craft categories, and International Emmy Awards are presented to shows airing outside of the US.