Olivia Dean and Lola Young lead the nominations for the 2026 BRIT Awards with five nods each.
Related
Dean is up for artist of the year, Mastercard album of the year for The Art of Loving, pop act and two nods in the song of the year category for “Man I Need” and her Sam Fender collaboration “Rein Me In.” Young will also compete in the artist of the year category, as well as song of the year (“Messy”), breakthrough artist, pop act and alternative/rock act.
The BRITs will take place outside of London for the first time at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena on Feb. 28. The show will be broadcast live on ITV1 and streaming service ITVX, and hosted by comedian Jack Whitehall. Dean is set to be the first performer of the night; additional names will be announced in the coming weeks.
Dean has yet to win a BRIT Award, though in 2024, she was nominated in three categories (best new artist, British artist and pop act). Her sophomore album, The Art of Loving, is currently No. 1 on the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart, and it has occupied the top spot for six non-consecutive weeks since its release in September. Young is also yet to pick up a BRIT Award, having been nominated twice previously (rising star, 2021; British artist, 2025). More than 70% of the artists nominated for 2026 are women or non-binary performers, a new record for the BRIT Awards.
Sam Fender follows closely behind with four nominations, with Dave, Wolf Alice, Lily Allen, Fred again.. and Jim Legaxcy each earning three nods. The awards will be decided by the 1,200-strong Brits Voting Academy; in recent years, the genre-specific categories have been decided by fan votes via WhatsApp.
There are a number of first-time nominees throughout the categories, most notably Bad Bunny in the international artist field. Mysterious rock band Sleep Token is among the first-time nominees, appearing in the alternative/rock act category, while rising artists Skye Newman, EsDeeKid and Jim Legaxcy are among the artists to secure their first nods.
Superstar names such as Taylor Swift, Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, Tyler, The Creator and more will compete in the international categories. Alex Warren, Gracie Abrams, Doechii and sombr are also first-time nominees.
Justin Bieber, who released two albums during the eligibility period (Dec. 6, 2024 – Dec. 6, 2025), is shut out at this year’s ceremony, despite hitting No. 1 on the Official Singles Chart with Swag breakout hit “Daisies.” Ed Sheeran, the second-most nominated artist at the BRIT Awards on the all-time rankings (25 total), scores just one nomination at 2026’s ceremony in the song of the year category (“Azizam”).
On Monday (Jan. 20), the BRITs announced its first winner in the Critics’ Choice category. Scottish folk artist Jacob Alon saw off competition from Sienna Spiro and Rose Gray in the critic-voted category, and will collect the prize on the night.
The winners of the honorary songwriter of the year and producer of the year awards will be revealed over the coming weeks, alongside the ceremony’ full performer slate.
Here’s the complete list of 2026 BRIT Awards nominees:
Mastercard album of the year
- Dave – The Boy Who Played the Harp, Neighbourhood/Universal Music
- Lily Allen – West End Girl, BMG
- Olivia Dean – The Art of Loving, Capitol/Universal Music
- Sam Fender – People Watching, Polydor/Universal Music
- Wolf Alice – The Clearing, Columbia/Sony Music
Artist of the year
- Dave, Neighbourhood/Universal Music
- Fred again.., Atlantic/Warner Music
- JADE, RCA/Sony Music
- Lily Allen, BMG
- Little Simz, AWAL/Sony Music
- Lola Young, Island Records, Universal Music
- Olivia Dean, Capitol/Universal Music
- PinkPantheress, Warner Records/Warner Music
- Sam Fender, Polydor/Universal Music
- Self Esteem, Polydor/Universal Music
Group of the year
- Pulp, Rough Trade, XL/Beggars
- Sleep Token, RCA/Sony Music
- The Last Dinner Party, Island/Universal Music
- Wet Leg, Domino
- Wolf Alice, Columbia/Sony Music
Breakthrough artist
- Barry Can’t Swim, Ninja Tune
- EsDeeKid, Lizzy, ADA/Warner Music
- Jim Legaxcy, XL/Beggars
- Lola Young, Island/Universal Music
- Skye Newman, Columbia/Sony Music
Song of the year
- “Blessings,” Calvin Harris, Clementine Douglas, Columbia/Sony Music
- “The Days (NOTION Remix),” CHRYSTAL, NOTION, Chaos/Universal Music
- “Defying Gravity,” Cynthia Erivo (feat. Ariana Grande), Republic/Universal Music
- “Azizam,” Ed Sheeran, Asylum/Warner Music
- “Victory Lap,” Fred again.., Skepta, PlaqueBoyMax, Atlantic/Warner Music, Capitol/ Universal Music, Epic/Sony Music
- “Survive,” Lewis Capaldi, Polydor/Universal Music
- “Messy,” Lola Young, Island/Universal Music
- “Nice to Meet You,” Myles Smith, RCA/Sony Music
- “Man I Need,” Olivia Dean, Capitol/Universal Music
- “Where Is My Husband!,” RAYE, Human Re Sources, The Orchard/Sony Music
- “Rein Me In,” Sam Fender (with Olivia Dean), Polydor/Universal Music
- “Family Matters,” Skye Newman, Columbia/Sony Music
BRITs Critics’ Choice
- Jacob Alon [WINNER], Island/Universal Music
- Rose Gray, Polydor/Universal Music
- Sienna Spiro, Capitol/Universal Music
International artist of the year
- Bad Bunny, RIMAS Entertainment, The Orchard/Sony Music
- Chappell Roan, Island/Universal Music
- CMAT, AWAL/Sony Music
- Doechii, Capitol/Universal Music
- Lady Gaga, Polydor/Universal Music
- ROSALÍA, Columbia/Sony Music
- Sabrina Carpenter, Island/Universal Music
- sombr, Warner Records/Warner Music
- Taylor Swift, EMI/Universal Music
- Tyler, The Creator, Columbia/Sony Music
International group of the year
- Geese, Partisan/PIAS
- HAIM, Polydor/Universal Music
- HUNTR/X (EJAE, Audrey Nuna, REI AMI), Republic/Universal Music
- Tame Impala, Columbia/Sony Music
- Turnstile, Roadrunner/Warner Music
International song of the year
- “Ordinary,” Alex Warren, Atlantic/Warner Music
- “Pink Pony Club,” Chappell Roan, Island/Universal Music
- “No Broke Boys,” Disco Lines & Tinashe, Warner Records/Warner Music
- “Sailor Song,” Gigi Perez, Island/Universal Music
- “That’s So True,” Gracie Abrams, Interscope/Universal Music
- “Golden,” HUNTR/X (EJAE, Audrey Nuna, REI AMI), Republic, Universal Music
- “Die With a Smile,” Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars, Atlantic/Warner Music, Interscope/Universal Music
- “Love Me Not,” Ravyn Lenae, Atlantic/Warner Music
- “APT.,” ROSÉ & Bruno Mars, Atlantic/Warner Music
- “Manchild,” Sabrina Carpenter, Island/Universal Music
- “undressed,” sombr, Warner Records/Warner Music
- “The Fate of Ophelia,” Taylor Swift, EMI/Universal Music
Alternative/rock act
- Blood Orange, RCA/Sony Music
- Lola Young, Island/Universal Music
- Sam Fender, Polydor/Universal Music
- Wet Leg, Domino
- Wolf Alice, Columbia/Sony Music
Hip-hop/grime/rap act
- Central Cee, Columbia/Sony Music
- Dave, Neighbourhood/Universal Music
- Jim Legaxcy, XL/Beggars
- Little Simz, AWAL/Sony Music
- Loyle Carner, EMI/Universal Music
Dance act
- Calvin Harris & Clementine Douglas, Columbia/Sony Music
- FKA twigs, Young, XL/Beggars
- Fred again.., Skepta, PlaqueBoyMax, Atlantic/Warner Music, Capitol/Universal Music, Epic/Sony Music
- PinkPantheress, Warner Records/Warner Music
- Sammy Virji, Capitol/Universal Music
Pop act
- JADE, Capitol/Universal Music
- Lily Allen, BMG
- Lola Young, Island/Universal Music
- Olivia Dean, Capitol/Universal Music
- RAYE, Human Re Sources, The Orchard/Sony Music
R&B act
- Jim Legaxcy, XL/Beggars
- Kwn, AWAL/Sony Music
- Mabel, Polydor/Universal Music
- Sasha Keable, RCA/Sony Music
- SAULT, Forever Living Originals
