Former US President Barack Obama has won an Emmy for Best Storyteller.

The 61-year-old received the coveted US television award for his performance in the Netflix documentary series "Our Great National Parks" (German title: "Our wonderful national parks"), as the US television academy announced on Saturday.

In it, Obama describes some of the most spectacular national parks on the planet.

The most important Emmys will only be awarded at a gala on September 13th.

However, smaller prizes such as that for the best storyteller are awarded beforehand.

It's not the first entertainment industry award for Obama.

He had previously won two Grammys for the audio versions of his autobiographical books The Audacity of Hope and Dreams from My Father.

After leaving the White House in 2017, Obama also founded a production company with his wife Michelle, which secured a lucrative contract with the Netflix streaming service.

The first documentary "American Factory" won an Oscar and an Emmy - but the awards went to the filmmakers and not directly to the Obamas themselves.