The Grio Awards consist of ten award categories. The Grio Includes Business, Health, Education, Science & the Environment, Science & the Environment, Media, Pop Culture, Arts & Culture, Service & Activism, Politics, and Sports.

The special's musical director was Greg Phillinganes, and DJ Kiss acted as the D.J. and announcer. It also included a duet by Tyrese and Yolanda Adams.

Co-produced by Allen Media Group and Backhand Productions, "Byron Allen Presents The Grio Awards" is a television program. Executive producers include Allen, Carolyn Folks, Jennifer Lucas, Jeff Atlas, and Michelle Willrich.

Ten winners are chosen from each area. Winners must demonstrate a significant impact on all of America to be included on the Grio 100 list, and their work must still be ongoing.

TheGrio.com's editorial staff makes the ultimate awards decision after conferring with contributors and subject-matter experts. Every year, the top 100 are altered.

The Byron Allen presents The Grio Awards honor outstanding achievements in the fields of film, music, comedy, television, sports, philanthropy, business, fashion, social justice, environmental justice, and education, as well as the icons and trailblazers who have made significant contributions to American culture.

The Grio presents several categories with yearly national prizes known as The Grio Awards. A section of the cable news network MSNBC is home to The Grio.

The Grio's 100 list of "History Makers in the Making," first published in 2010, honors persons currently influencing American society. Award winners are chosen from across America, not just from the African American community.

Sheryl Underwood and Taye Diggs co-hosted the star-studded "black"-tie event of 2022, marking a first for the African American news, lifestyle, sports, and entertainment platform theGrio. 

The special's executive producer is Byron Allen, founder, chairman, and CEO of Allen Media Group. The special has run on CBS on Saturday, November 26, from 8 to 10 p.m. ET/PT and will be streamed live on Paramount+.

In a statement announcing the broadcast arrangement, Allen said, "I founded 'theGrio Awards' to highlight and magnify African American brilliance and the wonderful heroes from other communities who truly support us.

Strong, inspiring African American figures like Berry Gordy, Jr., Rosa Parks, Muhammad Ali, and Martin Luther King, Jr. helped me see myself differently as a child and altered the course of my life.