Murray was nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Reality Program for the Season 18 Grand Finale. The nomination adds to an established Emmy record for the director, who has previously been nominated in the category multiple times for Drag Race and won the Emmy in 2021 for the episode “Gettin’ Lucky.” Nick joined the show during season three when Shangela popped out of a box and the season was won by Raja. Nick said, “That was my intro to the most amazing ride of my life.”

Sims received a nomination for Outstanding Choreography for Variety or Reality Programming for the routines “Versatile / Stimulate / What’s In A Ball?” from RuPaul’s Drag Race. It marks another Emmy nomination for Sims, who was previously recognized for his choreography on Drag Race in 2024 as well as for other productions. The recognition reflects two different creative disciplines behind the series. Murray’s nomination honors the direction of the competition’s finale, while Sims’ nomination recognizes the choreography that helped shape the season’s musical and performance sequences. Sims loves working on the show for quite a while and said, “The magic is the spirit of the queens. Although this a competition, they’re t their most vulnerable when they walk in because alot of them have never had choreography put on them before.”

The 2026 nominations added to Drag Race’s extensive Emmy history. According to the Television Academy, the series had accumulated 88 nominations and 30 wins through the 2026 awards cycle.

The Emmy recognition ultimately highlighted the collaborative work that goes into the competition—from Murray’s direction of the season’s finale to Sims’ choreography across its performance numbers—underscoring the production’s continued presence across the Television Academy’s reality-programming categories.