Olivia Dean and Lola Young lead the way with five nominations apiece, followed by Sam Fender with four.

Date published: 22nd Jan 2026

The full nominees for the upcoming BRIT Awards have been announced. The ceremony is set to take place in Manchester on Saturday 28th February at the city’s Co-op Live, the first time in the awards’ history to be held outside of the capital, with Jack Whitehall returning as host. 

Olivia Dean and Lola Young head into the night as the big names, each amassing five nominations in categories like British Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Act. Mercury Prize holder Sam Fender follows with four. 

The upcoming ceremony has been steady in revealing details about the event. In November, the BRITS revealed their 2026 ‘worker bee’ trophy design, which referenced the host city’s industrial background. In December the three acts battling for the Critic’s Choice Awards - formerly known as the Rising Star Award - were unveiled, and this week the Edinburgh folk artist Jacob Alon was awarded the prize, beating out dance-pop artist Rose Gray and singer-songwriter Sienno Spiro. Alon joins Adele, Florence and the Machine, and Jorja Smith as among the previous winners. Last week, the BRIT’s Week 2026 was announced, where the likes of Fatboy Slim, Josh Baker, and more will play intimate, one-off shows raising money for War Child in the run up to the event. 

 

Check out the full list of nominees below. 

 

BRITISH ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Dave

Fred again..

JADE

Lily Allen

Little Simz

Lola Young

Olivia Dean

PinkPantheress

Sam Fender

Self Esteem

 

GROUP OF THE YEAR

The Last Dinner Party

Pulp

Sleep Token

Wet Leg

Wolf Alice

 

BRITISH ALBUM OF THE YEAR

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

 

SONG OF THE YEAR

Calvin Harris & Clementine Douglas - 'Blessings'

Chrystal & Notion - 'The Days (Notion Remix)'

Cynthia Erivo (feat. Ariana Grande) - 'Defying Gravity'

Ed Sheeran - 'Azizam'

Fred again.., Skepta & PlaqueBoyMax - 'Victory Lap'

Lewis Capaldi - 'Survive'

Lola Young - 'Messy'

Myles Smith - 'Nice To Meet You'

Olivia Dean - 'Man I Need'

Raye - 'Where Is My Husband!'

Sam Fender (with Olivia Dean) - 'Rein Me In'

Skye Newman - 'Family Matters'

 

INTERNATIONAL ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Bad Bunny

Chappell Roan

CMAT

Doechii

Lady Gaga

Rosalía

Sabrina Carpenter

Sombr

Taylor Swift

Tyler, The Creator

 

INTERNATIONAL GROUP OF THE YEAR

Geese

Haim

Huntr/x, Ejae / Audrey Nuna/ Rei Ami

Tame Impala

Turnstile

 

INTERNATIONAL SONG OF THE YEAR

Alex Warren - 'Ordinary'

Chappell Roan - 'Pink Pony Club'

Disco Lines & Tinashe - 'No Broke Boys'

Gigi Perez - 'Sailor Song'

Gracie Abrams - 'That's So True'

Huntr/x, Ejae / Audrey Nuna/ Rei Ami - 'Golden'

Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars - 'Die With A Smile'

Ravyn Lenae - 'Love Me Not'

Rosé & Bruno Mars - 'APT.'

Sabrina Carpenter - 'Manchild'

Sombr - 'Undressed'

Taylor Swift - 'The Fate of Ophelia'

 

BRITISH BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST

Barry Can't Swim

EsDeeKid

Jim Legxacy

Lola Young

Skye Newman

 

CRITIC’S CHOICE

Jacob Alon (WINNER)

Rose Gray

Sienna Spiro

 

BEST ALTERNATIVE/ROCK ACT

Blood Orange

Lola Young

Sam Fender

Wet Leg

Wolf Alice

 

BEST POP ACT

Jade

Lily Allen

Lola Young

Olivia Dean

Raye

 

BEST HIP-HOP/GRIME/RAP ACT

Central Cee

Dave

Jim Legxacy

Little Simz

Loyle Carner

 

BEST R&B ACT

Jim Legxacy

Kwn

Mabel

Sasha Keable

Sault

 

BEST DANCE ACT

Calvin Harris & Clementine Douglas

FKA twigs

Fred again..Skepta & PlaqueBoyMax

PinkPantheress

Sammy Virji

 

Producer of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, and the Global Success Award are yet to be announced. 

 

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