The 16th Daytime Emmy Awards were held on Thursday, June 29, 1989, on NBC to commemorate excellence in daytime programming between March 6, 1988 and March 5, 1989. The awards aired from 3-5 p.m. EST, preempting Santa Barbara. Again this year, the awards ceremony was a joint presentation of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) on the East Coast and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (ATAS) on the West Coast. The ceremonies and live telecast was held at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. The non-televised Daytime Emmy Awards presentation for programs and individual achievement, primarily for excellence in creative arts categories, was held four days earlier on June 25. The ceremony did not have a formal host, but was announced by Don Pardo.

Winners in each category are in bold. Two winners were recorded in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Daytime Drama Series category, as a tie was recorded in the race between actresses Debbi Morgan and Nancy Lee Grahn.

• All My Children
• As the World Turns
• General Hospital
• Guiding Light
• Santa Barbara
• The Young and the Restless

• David Canary (Adam Chandler and Stuart Chandler, All My Children)
• James Mitchell (Palmer Cortlandt, All My Children)
• Douglass Watson (Mac Cory, Another World)
• Larry Bryggman (Dr. John Dixon, As the World Turns)
• A Martinez (Cruz Castillo, Santa Barbara)

• Susan Lucci (Erica Kane, All My Children)
• Elizabeth Hubbard (Lucinda Walsh, As the World Turns)
• Marcy Walker (Eden Capwell, Santa Barbara)
• Jeanne Cooper (Katherine Chancellor, The Young and the Restless)

• David Forsyth (Dr. John Hudson, Another World)
• Joseph Campanella (Harper Deveraux, Days of Our Lives)
• Justin Deas (Keith Timmons, Santa Barbara)
• Quinn Redeker (Brian Romalotti, The Young and the Restless)

• Debbi Morgan (Angie Hubbard, All My Children)
• Nancy Lee Grahn (Julia Wainwright, Santa Barbara)
• Jane Elliot (Anjelica Deveraux, Days of Our Lives)
• Arleen Sorkin (Calliope Jones, Days of Our Lives)
• Robin Mattson (Gina Blake, Santa Barbara)

• Andrew Kavovit (Paul Ryan, As the World Turns)
• Darrell Utley (Benjy Hawk, Days of Our Lives)
• Justin Gocke (Brandon Capwell, Santa Barbara)

• Anne Heche (Marley Hudson and Vicky Hudson, Another World)
• Martha Byrne (Lily Walsh, As the World Turns)
• Kimberly McCullough (Robin Scorpio, General Hospital)
• Noelle Beck (Patricia Alden, Loving)

• Another World
• Santa Barbara
• As the World Turns
• Guiding Light

• As the World Turns
• The Young and the Restless
• Family Medical Center
• Loving
• One Life to Live

• The $25,000 Pyramid - A Bob Stewart-Sande Stewart Production for CBS (Syn. by 20th Century Fox Television)
• Jeopardy! - A production of Merv Griffin Enterprises (Syn. by King World)
• The Price Is Right - A Mark Goodson Production for CBS
• Wheel of Fortune - A production of Merv Griffin Enterprises for NBC (Syn. by King World)
• Win, Lose or Draw - A Kilne & Friends Production for NBC (Syn. by Buena Vista Television)

• Alex Trebek (Jeopardy!)
• Dick Clark (The $25,000 Pyramid)
• Pat Sajak (Wheel of Fortune)
• Vicki Lawrence Schultz (Win, Lose or Draw)

• Karl Geurs, Mark Zaslove, Bruce Talkington and Carter Crocker (The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh)
• William Hanna, Joseph Barbera, Tom Ruegger, Ray Patterson, Lane Raichert, Bill Matheny and Laren Bright (A Pup Named Scooby-Doo)
• Bob Hathcock, Jymn Magon, Bruce Talkington and Len Uhley (DuckTales)
• Margaret Loesch, Jim Henson, Bob Richardson, John Ahern, Karen Peterson, Rudy Cataldi, Al Kouzel, Chuck Downs, Hank Saroyan, Sindy McKay and Larry Swerdlove (Muppet Babies)
• William Hanna, Joseph Barbera, Paul Sabella, Ray Patterson, Don Lusk, Paul Sommer, Bob Goe, Carl Urbano, Glenn Leopold, Sean Catherine Derek, Kevin Hopps, Bill Matheny, Reed Robbins and Ernie Contreras (The Smurfs)

• Jeffrey J. Haboush and Greg P. Russell (Muppet Babies)

• Al Breitenbach, Ron Fedele, Richard C. Allen, Steven D. Williams and Kenneth R. Burton (Muppet Babies)
• Steve Kirklys, Steve Michael, Peter Cole, Ken Dahlinger, Greg Teall and John Walker (Pee-wee's Playhouse)

• "Daytime Emmy Awards". Internet Movie Database. 1989.