Lola Young, Olivia Dean and Sam Fender are among those with the most nods this year
By Liberty Dunworth 21st January 2026
BRIT Awards 2026 nominees. CREDIT: Press
The full list of nominations for the 2026 BRIT Awards have been revealed, with Lola Young and Olivia Dean leading the pack. Check out the full list below.
- READ MORE: Lola Young: the distinctly south London star breaking America
This year’s ceremony will see the prestigious awards head to Manchester for the first time in its nearly 50-year history. Taking place at the Co-op Live arena on Saturday February 28, Jack Whitehall will be returning to host for the sixth time.
AdvertisementIt has already been confirmed that Scottish art-folk artist Jacob Alon has snagged the BRITs Critics’ Choice Award, beating off competition from Rose Gray and SIENNA SPIRO. The Mercury Prize nominee joins an impressive roster of past-winners, including Adele, Florence and the Machine, Ellie Goulding, Sam Smith, and Jorja Smith.
Now, the full list of nominations for the 2026 BRITs is out, with the likes of Sam Fender, Lily Allen, and Olivia Dean are all up for multiple awards on the night.
The three of them are all up for Artist Of The Year, alongside JADE, Fred Again.., PinkPantheress, Little Simz, Self Esteem and more. Former NME Cover star Lola Young has made that list too, and is also nominated in Breakthrough Artist, Alternative Rock, Pop and Song Of The Year categories.
Olivia Dean. CREDIT: PRESS
Nominees for Group Of The Year are previous BRITs Rising Star winners The Last Dinner Party, as well as Sleep Token, Wet Leg, Wolf Alice, and Britpop veterans Pulp. The nomination for Jarvis Cocker and co. is their first from the BRITs in 30 years.
RecommendedInternational acts up for awards this year include Doechii, Geese, Bad Bunny, Sabrina Carpenter, HAIM, Turnstile, Tame Impala and more, and those up for Mastercard Album of the Year include Lily Allen, Olivia Dean, Sam Fender, Wolf Alice, and Dave.
Song Of The Year has entries from RAYE, with her viral hit ‘Where Is My Husband?’, last year’s Rising Star winner Myles Smith with ‘Nice To Meet You’, Lewis Capaldi with his comeback single ‘Survive’, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande with their Wicked hit ‘Defying Gravity’, and many more.
Check out the complete list of nominations below.
The nominees for the BRITs 2026 are:
Artist Of The Year Dave Fred Again.. JADE Lily Allen Little Simz Lola Young Olivia Dean PinkPantheress Sam Fender Self Esteem
AdvertisementGroup Of The Year The Last Dinner Party Pulp Sleep Token Wet Leg Wolf Alice
Mastercard 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’
Sam Fender performing at Reading 2023. Credit: Andy Ford for NME
Breakthrough Artist Barry Can’t Swim Esdeekid Jim Legxacy Lola Young Skye Newman
International Artist Bad Bunny Chappell Roan CMAT Doechii Lady Gaga Rosalia Sabrina Carpenter Sombr Taylor Swift Tyler, The Creator
International Group Geese HAIM HUNTR/X (K-Pop Demon Hunters) Tame Impala Turnstile
Song Of The Year Calvin Harris and Clementine Douglas – ‘Blessings’ Chrystal and NOTION – ‘The Days-NOTION Remix’ Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande – ‘Defying Gravity’ Ed Sheeran – ‘Azizam’ Fred Again, Kkepta and 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 Song Alex Warren – ’Ordinary’ Chappell Roan – ‘Pink Pony Club’ Disco Lines and Tinashe – ‘No Broke Boys’ Gigi Perez – ‘Sailor Song’ Gracie Abrams – ‘That’s So True’ HUNTR/X – ‘Golden’ Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars – ‘Die With A Smile’ Ravyn Lenae – ‘Love Me Not’ Rose and Bruno Mars – ‘Apt.’ Sabrina Carpenter – ’Manchild’ Sombr – ‘Undressed’ Taylor Swift – ‘The Fate Of Ophelia’
Alternative/Rock Blood Orange Lola Young Sam Fender Wet Leg Wolf Alice
Pop JADE Lily Allen Lola Young Olivia Dean RAYE
Hip-Hop, Grime and Rap Central Cee Dave Jim Legxacy Little Simz Loyle Carner
Central Cee live at Reading 2023. Credit: Andy Ford for NME
R&B Jim Legxacy Kwn Mabel Sasha Keable Sault
Dance Calvin Harris and Clementine Douglas FKA Twigs Fred Again.., Skepta, PlaqueBoyMax PinkPantheress Sammy Virji
This year, Olivia Dean and Lola Young are up for the most awards, each nominated in five categories. Close on their heels is Sam Fender with four nods, and those with three nominations each are Wolf Alice, Lily Allen, Fred Again.., Dave, and Jim Legxacy.
“Five BRIT Nominations, how is this even possible? I’ve had this dream a thousand times, so I’m slightly convinced that my alarm clock is about to wake me up,” said Young. “Seriously, this means so much to me, I am so grateful for this moment and to be nominated alongside the incredible other nominees.”
“It feels crazy to have five BRIT Award nominations, it’s very surreal and I’m still processing it,” added Dean, who has also been confirmed as the first artist to perform at the 2026 ceremony. “I remember watching the BRITs on TV when I was younger, and having gone to BRIT School and now having this full circle moment 10 years later, attending the awards is going to feel very emotional.”
This year, nearly 70 per cent of the acts nominated are women and non-binary artists, which is the highest number yet for the BRITs. Additionally, Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande and HUNTR/X are all being nominated for their musical contributions to film, with the former two recording ‘Defying Gravity’ for Wicked, and the latter releasing the viral song ‘Golden’ for the hit Netflix film Kpop Demon Hunters.
This year, both Song Of The Year and International Song categories can be voted for by the public. More details about the voting process will be shared at a later date.
This year’s trophy has been designed by Matthew Williamson, who drew inspiration from “his Manchester roots and the city’s famous drive and resilience.” The statue is made of a distinctive amber-resin, resembling the golden honey of a worker bee, which is Manchester’s mascot.
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ITV remains the official BRIT Awards broadcaster for the 34th year. The ceremony is set to air exclusively on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player.
Last year, Charli XCX swept the awards, taking home five trophies, and thanking dance artists who inspired her vision for ‘Brat‘ – among them her late collaborator SOPHIE. Check out the full list of winners here.
Among the performers on the night were Sabrina Carpenter, Sam Fender, JADE, Teddy Swims, The Last Dinner Party, Myles Smith, Lola Young, Ezra Collective and Jorja Smith.
