Ava DuVernay's "14th" earned a leading six nominations Tuesday as the 11th annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards announced its nominees, three days after the film's world premiere at the New York Film Festival.

The Netflix documentary, which examines threats to the 14th Amendment, picked up bids for Best Documentary Feature, Best Political Documentary, Best Historical Documentary, plus DuVernay for Best Director, Spencer Averick for Best Editing and Jason Moran for Best Music Score. Winners will be revealed November 8 at The Edison Ballroom in Manhattan, with Ross Mathews as emcee.

Three films follow with five nominations each:

• "You Can See Everything," the Elizabeth Holmes documentary directed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim (A24)
• "Once Upon a Time in Harlem," directed by David Greaves and produced by Liani Greaves (Neon)
• "Nuisance Bear," directed by Gabriela Osio Vanden and Jack Weisman (Mubi)

Five films scored four nominations apiece: "Everybody to Kenmure Street," "Rehearsals for a Revolution," "Remake," "The History of Concrete" and "Everest: The Other Side," the last directed by Oscar winners E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin.

What does the feature race look like?

The Best Documentary Feature category holds ten titles: "14th," "Everest: The Other Side," "Everybody to Kenmure Street," "The History of Concrete," "Musk," "NAZA," "Once Upon a Time in Harlem," "Rehearsals for a Revolution," "Remake" and "You Can See Everything." Six of the ten sit outside the two most-nominated films' camps, which spreads the vote across a wide field.

In the directing race, DuVernay faces Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor ("NAZA"), Felipe Bustos Sierra, Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, Ross McElwee and Orlando von Einsiedel ("The Cycle of Love"). Five of the ten feature nominees also appear here, and that overlap gives the clearest signal of where the branch's support sits.

The craft categories follow the same pattern. Averick, editing "14th," competes against Adam Locke-Norton ("You Can See Everything"), Anne de Mare and Lynn True ("Once Upon a Time in Harlem"), Colin Monie, Jonathan Redmond and Cori Wapnowska. Jason Moran's score faces Ari Balouzian, Dan Deacon, Caroline Ho, Cristóbal Tapia de Veer and a Hans Zimmer-led trio for "Lion."

What else is on the ballot?

Genre categories split the field further. "Musk" and "NAZA" appear in Political Documentary alongside "14th" and "American Doctor," "Ask E. Jean," "Everybody to Kenmure Street" and "Union Town." Biographical Documentary carries "Avedon," "Jean-Michel Basquiat," "Lorne," "Marty, Life Is Short," "Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!" and "Musk" again. "Nuisance Bear" doubles into Science/Nature Documentary, where it meets "Lion," "Ghost Elephants," "Secrets of the Bees," "Time and Water" and "The AI Doc."

Limited series brings seven contenders, including "9/11: Reunited," "The Dark Wizard" and "The Dynasty: UConn Huskies," which also appears in Sports Documentary alongside "Everest: The Other Side," "Rafa" and "Tyson." The eligibility window runs January 1 through December 31, 2026, covering features, two-part and short-form documentaries released theatrically, on broadcast, cable or streaming; series qualify if a majority of the eligible season's episodes aired within that window.

Who receives the honorary awards?

Ron Howard will take the Critics Choice Impact Award, which recognizes "filmmakers whose work, influence, and commitment to nonfiction storytelling have made a significant and lasting impact on the documentary form, broadening its reach and championing its continued evolution." His documentary credits include "Avedon" (2026), "Jim Henson Idea Man" (2024), "We Feed People" (2022), "Rebuilding Paradise" (2020) and "Pavarotti" (2019).

Oscar-nominated filmmaker Jehane Noujaim will receive the Pennebaker Award, formerly the Critics Choice Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by DA Pennebaker's widow and collaborator Chris Hegedus.

Christopher Campbell, the Critics Choice Association's VP of Documentary, said: "This year's nominees reflect the range of voices, perspectives, and stories that make documentary filmmaking so compelling. These films challenge us to see the world in new ways and reinforce the vital role documentaries play in informing, engaging, and inspiring audiences."

Six nominations for a film that premiered on Friday sets the pace; whether the voters consolidate behind "14th" or split across the ten-title field will decide November 8.