While soap fans are still left to wonder if the Daytime Emmy ceremony will be broadcast on television, the awards themselves press on. The pre-nominees for this year's Daytime Emmys have been announced, and from this pool of nominees will come this year's Emmy winners.
The pre-nominating process has undergone a few tweaks since last year. The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences changed the way that the pre-nominees are chosen. In previous years, each soap was guaranteed two pre-nominations in each of the acting categories. This year, NATAS did away with the soap limits, and any performer that wanted to be considered for an Emmy was able to throw their hat into the ring in a given category. After the first round of voting, the top ten vote-getters were named as the pre-nominees.
The Lead Actor category has eleven nominees due to a tie.
"A ballot containing a full list of entrants in each of the six performer categories was sent to registered, eligible peer judges. The ballot contained an unrevealed and randomized order of performers in each category, regardless of their show affiliation," NATAS explained in a statement. "Judges were required to view clips containing the work of each performer entry before selecting their top 10 performer choices in each category."
Pre-nominees will now submit a full episode that they feel best demonstrates their work, and those episodes will again be voted on. The second round of voting will determine not only the nominees in each category, but also the winners.
The nominees for the year's Daytime Emmys will be announced on May 4.
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series Pre-Nominees
Crystal Chappell (Carly Manning, Days of our Lives)
Jeanne Cooper (Katherine Chancellor, The Young and the Restless)
Kassie DePaiva (Blair Cramer, One Life to Live)
Susan Flannery (Stephanie Forrester, The Bold and the Beautiful)
Debbi Morgan (Angie Hubbard, All My Children)
Erika Slezak (Viki Lord, One Life to Live)
Michelle Stafford (Phyllis Summers Newman, The Young and the Restless)
Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki Newman, The Young and the Restless)
Heather Tom (Katie Logan Spencer, The Bold and the Beautiful)
Laura Wright (Carly Corinthos Jacks, General Hospital)
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series Pre-Nominees
Maurice Benard (Michael "Sonny" Corinthos, Jr., General Hospital)
Steve Burton (Jason Morgan, General Hospital)
Don Diamont (Bill Spencer, Jr., The Bold and the Beautiful)
Anthony Geary (Luke Spencer, General Hospital)
Vincent Irizarry (David Hayward, All My Children)
John McCook (Eric Forrester, The Bold and the Beautiful)
Michael Muhney (Adam Newman, The Young and the Restless)
Stephen Nichols (Tucker McCall, The Young and the Restless)
Jerry verDorn (Clint Buchanan, One Life to Live)
Darnell Williams (Jesse Hubbard, All My Children)
Robert S. Woods (Bo Buchanan, One Life to Live)
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series Pre-Nominees
Julie Marie Berman (Lulu Spencer, General Hospital)
Nadia Bjorlin (Chloe Lane, Days of our Lives)
Melissa Claire Egan (Annie Chandler, All My Children)
Genie Francis (Genevieve Atkinson, The Young and the Restless)
Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis Davis, General Hospital)
Elizabeth Hendrickson (Chloe Mitchell, The Young and the Restless)
Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth Webber, General Hospital)
Debbi Morgan (Harmony Hamilton, The Young and the Restless)
Gina Tognoni (Kelly Cramer, One Life to Live)
Arianne Zucker (Nicole Walker, Days of our Lives)
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series Pre-Nominees
Bradford Anderson (Damien Spinelli, General Hospital)
Matthew Ashford (Jack Deveraux, Days of our Lives)
Sean Blakemore (Shawn Butler, General Hospital)
Scott Clifton (Liam Cooper, The Bold and the Beautiful)
Jonathan Jackson (Lucky Spencer, General Hospital)
Michael E. Knight (Tad Martin, All My Children)
Billy Miller (Billy Abbott, The Young and the Restless)
Greg Rikaart (Kevin Fisher, The Young and the Restless)
Jason Thompson (Patrick Drake, General Hospital)
John Wesley Shipp (Eddie Ford, One Life To Live)
Outstanding Younger Actress In A Drama Series Pre-Nominees
Lexi Ainsworth (Kristina Corinthos Davis, General Hospital)
Camila Banus (Gabi Hernandez, Days of our Lives)
Molly Burnett (Melanie Layton, Days of our Lives)
Natalie Hall (Colby Chandler, All My Children)
Shelley Hennig (Stephanie Johnson, Days of our Lives)
Christel Khalil (Lily Winters, The Young and the Restless)
Jacqueline MacInnes Wood (Steffy Forrester, The Bold and the Beautiful)
Kate Mansi (Abigail Deveraux, Days of our Lives)
Kim Matula (Hope Logan, The Bold and the Beautiful)
Haley Pullos (Molly Lansing Davis, General Hospital)
Outstanding Younger Actor In A Drama Series Pre-Nominees
Eddie Alderson (Matthew Buchanan, One Life To Live)
Casey Deidrick (Chad DiMera, Days of our Lives)
Chad Duell (Michael Corinthos, General Hospital)
Adam Gregory (Thomas Forrester, The Bold and the Beautiful)
David A. Gregory (Robert Ford, One Life To Live)
Bryton James (Devon Hamilton Winters, The Young and the Restless)
Chandler Massey (Will Horton, Days of our Lives)
Nathan Parsons (Ethan Lovett, General Hospital)
Kevin Schmidt (Noah Newman, The Young and the Restless)
Austin Williams (Shane Morasco, One Life To Live)