Let’s be real—when the AVN noms drop, half the industry holds its breath to see who got snubbed and who’s about to rent a bigger trophy case. This year Jim Powers basically kicked the door down and said “mine.”
Dude racked up so many nominations across straight, trans, and bi that AVN had to give him a nod for Best Directing Portfolio – Varied Range just to cover all the bases. And honestly? He earned every single one.
Jim Powers Owns the 2026 Awards Season So Far
The crown jewel is obviously Transpirella from Gender X Films. Powers’ love letter to Vampira turned into a full-on trans horror-porn masterpiece, and the academy is eating it up.
Transpirella Is Cleaning House
We’re talking noms for:
- Best Trans Movie or Series
- Best Trans Acting Performance – Ariel Demure (she was born to play this role)
- Best Art Direction (those sets were unreal)
- Most Outrageous Sex Scene – “Lucifer’s Sploogenami” aka the satanic orgy with Ariel, Avery Lust, Andylynne Payne, and Jack Hammer
Yeah, you read that right. A literal hellfire gangbang just got nominated for being too wild. That’s the Jim Powers brand in a nutshell.
Trans Categories? He Brought Receipts
Beyond Transpirella, the man is stacked:
- Best Trans Group Sex Scene – the absolutely chaotic “Trans Orgy” with Jade Venus, Brittney Kade, Kasey Kei, Khloe Kay, Lola Morena, Tori Easton, Cherry Kiss and a squad of dudes
- Another group nom for Transfixed’s “Throuple’s Retreat” (Bella Jolie, Kasey Kei, Dom Cruise)
- Best Trans One-on-One – “Creampies on the Mind” with Kasey Kei and Eva Maxim
When your trans scenes are competing against… your own trans scenes, you’re doing something very right.
Bi and Straight Heat Still Slapping
GayVN threw love his way too with two Best Bi Sex Scene nods from BiPhoria:
- “Bi Feelings” – Aliya Brynn, Draven Navarro, Steve Rickz, Victoria Voxxx
- Secretly Bi 2 – Cliff Jensen, Sage Roux, Scarlet Skies
And over on the straight side, Devil’s Film scored him Best Tag-Team Sex Scene for that filthy in-laws scene with Anna Claire Clouds taking on Vince Karter and Will Pounder. Classic Powers mayhem.
“I think this is a record for nominations. I was so happy to bring ‘Transpirella’ to life and knew Ariel was perfect for the role… the fans and critics love it, and now it’s sweeping the nominations.”
– Jim Powers
Man’s not wrong. The buzz around Transpirella has been insane since day one. Ariel Demure in that Vampira role? Chef’s kiss. The production value, the costumes, the sheer unhinged energy of that Lucifer orgy scene—people aren’t just watching it, they’re obsessed.
What Happens in Vegas…
GayVN Awards hit January 22, AVN Awards January 24, both at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. If Powers walks away with even half these trophies, expect the after-parties to get apocalyptic.
Bottom line: Jim Powers isn’t just directing porn. He’s directing the conversation. And right now the entire industry is taking notes.
Full nominee lists at AVN.com if you want to see how deep the domination goes. Spoiler: it’s real deep.
