The nominees for the 41st NAACP Image Awards were announced on January 6. Among the dozens of nominees are ten choices for outstanding actor and actress in a daytime drama series. The NAACP Image Awards honors projects and individuals that promote diversity in the arts in television, recording, literature and motion pictures.

As has typically been the case of the years, The Young and the Restless earned the most nominations. Five of the ten nominees, including three of the five actress nominations, were captured by the top-rated CBS soap. All My Children and One Life to Live each earned two nominations, and The Bold and the Beautiful picked up a single nod.

There were also soap veterans on the ballot. Morgan Freeman (ex-Roy Bingham, Another World) earned a nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture for his work in Invictus. On the television side, Lamman Rucker (ex-T. Marshall Travers, As the World Turns; ex-Garret Williams, All My Children) is up for an award in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his work on the TBS series, Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns, and Tichina Arnold (ex-Zena Brown, Ryan's Hope; ex-Sharla Valentine, All My Children) was again nominated for in the Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series category for her role on the CW's Everybody Hates Chris. Mary J. Blige, who has twice appeared on One Life to Live, earned a nomination for Outstanding Female Recording Artist.

Here is the listing of soap-related nominees for this year's NAACP Image Awards. For a complete listing of all nominees, click here.

Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series
Bryton James (Devon Hamilton, The Young And The Restless)
Cassius Willis (Gil Wallace, The Young And The Restless)
Cornelius Smith, Jr. (Frankie Hubbard, All My Children)
Terrell Tilford (Greg Evans, One Life to Live)
Texas Battle (Marcus Walton, The Bold and the Beautiful)

Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series
Daphne Duplaix (Rachel Gannon, One Life to Live)
Debbi Morgan (Angie Hubbard, All My Children)
Eva Marcille (Tyra Hamilton, The Young and the Restless)
Tatyana Ali (Roxanne, The Young and The Restless)
Tonya Lee Williams (Olivia Winters, The Young And The Restless)

One Life to Live's two nominees have expressed their gratitude over their nominations. "It's an honor to be recognized by such a prestigious organization as the NAACP," Duplaix said in a statement. "Every actor works towards opportunities like these, I couldn't be happier."

"I am honored to be recognized by the NAACP Nominating Committee," Tilford added, echoing his co-star. "It's a pleasure to have the work that I love doing acknowledged. What an incredible blessing with which to start the New Year."

Last year's winners were Bryton James -- then known professionally as Bryton McClure -- and Debbi Morgan.

The 41st NAACP Image Awards will air live on Friday, February 26 (8:00 – 10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.