BRIT Awards 2026: Olivia Dean, Lola Young and Sam Fender lead nominations
A huge pack of nominations have been unveiled ahead of next month's ceremony in Manchester
By Nick Reilly
The nominations for the BRIT Awards 2026 have been revealed, led by the likes of Olivia Dean, Lola Young and Sam Fender.
This year’s awards will take place at Manchester’s Co-op Live on February 28 and broadcast exclusively on ITV1 and ITVX. Comedian and actor Jack Whitehall will return once more, marking his sixth time hosting the music ceremony.
This year, both Olivia Dean and Lola Young are tied for the most nominations with five a piece. Dean is up for Artist of the Year, Album of the Year for The Art of Loving, Song of the Year for both ‘Man I Need’ and ‘Rein Me In’ ft Sam Fender, and Pop Act.
Young meanwhile, has received nods for Artist of the Year, Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Song of the Year for ‘Messy’, Alt/Rock Act and Pop Act.
Close behind is Sam Fender, who has received four nods, while those with three include Lily Allen, Wolf Alice, Dave, Fred again.. and Jim Legxacy.
When broken down, nearly 70 per cent of the nominations feature women and non-binary people – the highest representation in both categories to ever feature at the ceremony.
Check out the full list of nominees below.
The nominees for the 2026 BRIT Awards are:
Album of the Year with Mastercard:
Dave – The Boy Who Played the Harp
Lily Allen – West End Girl
Olivia Dean – The Art of Loving
Sam Fender – People Watching
Wolf Alice – The Clearing
Artist of the Year:
Dave
Fred Again
Lily Allen
Jade
Little Simz
Lola Young
Olivia Dean
Pink Pantheress
Sam Fender
Self-Esteem
Group of the Year:
The Last Dinner Party
Pulp
Sleep Token
Wet Leg
Wolf Alice
Breakthrough Artist of the Year:
Barry Can’t Swim
EssDeeKid
Jim Legxacy
Lola Young
Skye Newman
Pop Act:
JADE
Lily Allen
Lola Young
Olivia Dean
RAYE
Song of the Year with Mastercard:
‘Blessings’ – Calvin Harris & Clementine Douglas
‘The Days’ – Chrystal (The NOTION remix)
‘Defying Gravity’ – Cynthia Erivo ft Ariana Grande
‘Azizam’ – Ed Sheeran
‘Victory Lap’ – Fred Again, PlaqueBoyMax, and Skepta
‘Survive’ – Lewis Capaldi
‘Messy’ – Lola Young
‘Nice to Meet You’ – Myles Smith
‘Man I Need’ – Olivia Dean
‘Where Is My Husband?’ – RAYE
‘Rein Me In’ – Sam Fender ft Olivia Dean
‘Family Matters’ – Skye Newman
International Artist:
Bad Bunny
Chappell Roan
CMAT
Doechii
Lady Gaga
Rosalia
Sabrina Carpenter
Sombr
Taylor Swift
Tyler, The Creator
International Song of the Year:
‘Ordinary’ – Alex Warren
‘Pink Pony Club’ – Chappell Roan
‘No Broke Boys’ – Disco Lines and Tinashe
‘Sailor Song’ – Gigi Perez
‘Golden’ – HUNTR/X
‘Die With A Smile’ – Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars
‘Love Me Not’ – Ravyn Lenae
‘APT’ – Bruno Mars and Rosé
‘Manchild’ – Sabrina Carpenter
‘Undressed’ – SOMBR
‘The Fate of Ophelia’ – Taylor Swift
International Group of the Year:
Geese
HAIM
Huntr/X
Tame Impala
Turnstile
Alt/Rock Act:
Blood Orange
Lola Young
Sam Fender
Wet Leg
Wolf Alice.
Hip-hop/Grime Act:
Central Cee
Dave
Jim Legxacy
Little Simz
Loyle Carner
Dance Act:
Calvin Harris and Clementine Douglas
FKA twigs
Fred Again, PlaqueBoyMax, and Skepta
PinkPantheress
R&B Act:
Jim Legxacy
KWN
Mabel
Sasha Keeble
SAULT
Winners in the Producer of the Year and Songwriter of the Year categories will be announced at a later date. This year’s statue has been designed by Matthew Williamson, an amber resin design inspired by his own Manchester roots and the “golden honey of a worker bee”, the emblem of Manchester.
Earlier this week, Jacob Alon was announced as the winner of the prestigious BRITs Critics Choice Prize, telling Rolling Stone UK: “I do hope it means hopefully more people will discover my music and give a bit more life to what I’m doing.”