The 36th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards were held on Sunday, August 30, 2009, at the Orpheum Theatre, Los Angeles, California, and were televised live on The CW for the first time. The Daytime Entertainment Creative Arts Emmy Awards were presented a day earlier on August 29 at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel. The televised ceremony was hosted by Vanessa L. Williams, and directed by Jeff Margolis and Debbie Palacio. The nominations were announced on May 14, 2009, partially on The Today Show.

Nominations and winners

The following is a partial list of nominees, with winners in bold:

Lifetime achievement award

Special Tributes

List of Presenters

A first-place tie was recorded in this category.