The 2026 Brit Awards ceremony is taking place at the Co-Op Live arena in Manchester tonight (Saturday 28 February) with Olivia Dean, Lily Allen and Sam Fender among the nominees.
The ceremony is being held outside London for the first time in the award show’s history. Olivia Dean and Lola Young lead the charge in this year’s nominations with five nods each, including a spot for both in the Artist of the Year category.
Dean, 26, enjoyed a huge year in 2025 thanks to the success of her second album, The Art of Loving, and singles such as “Man I Need” and “Nice to Each Other”, while also winning the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in January.
The soul-pop singer is up for Song of the Year twice, for “Man I Need” and also for her collaboration with singer-songwriter Sam Fender, “Rein Me In”. Fender is another Artist of the Year contender and will be vying for Album of the Year with his third record, People Watching.
Dean’s The Art of Loving is shortlisted in the same category, regarded as the biggest prize of the night.
“It feels crazy to have five Brit Award nominations, it’s very surreal and I’m still processing it,” Dean said in a statement last year.
“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.”
Women and non-binary artists enjoyed the highest representation in Brits history for the 2026 ceremony, accounting for almost 70 per cent of nominees.
Meanwhile, Lily Allen’s renaissance continues with her comeback album, West End Girl, a brutally honest account of the breakdown of a marriage, also up for Album of the Year, while Allen is nominated for Artist of the Year and Best Pop. Meanwhile, Britpop heroes Pulp make a triumphant return to the awards show with their first Brit nod in 30 years, for Best Group.
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This year’s Brit nominations also seemed to better reflect the sheer breadth and diversity in popular music. Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny is nominated for International Solo Artist alongside pop artist Chappell Roan, Irish singer CMAT, pioneering Spanish musician Rosalia, and Florida rapper Doechii, as well as pop giants Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter and Lady Gaga.
Meanwhile, buzzy New York band Geese are up for International Group together with LA pop trio Haim and Hunter X, the band behind the songs from the hit Netflix film K Pop Demon Hunters.
The winners list will be updated live as the ceremony takes place
Artist of the Year
Dave
Fred Again
JADE
Lily Allen
Little Simz
Lola Young
Olivia Dean
PinkPantheress
Sam Fender
Self Esteem
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Group of the Year
The Last Dinner Party
Pulp
Sleep Token
Wet Leg
Wolf Alice – WINNER
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
Breakthrough Artist
Barry Can’t Swim
EsDeeKid
Jim Legxacy
Lola Young
Sky Newman
International Artist
Bad Bunny
Chappell Roan
CMAT
Doechii
Lady Gaga
Rosalia
Sabrina Carpenter
Sombr
Taylor Swift
Tyler, the Creator
International Group
Geese
Haim
Hunter X
Tame Impala
Turnstile
Song of the Year (public vote)
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, Skepta 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 and Olivia Dean – “Rein Me In” – WINNER
Skye Newman – “Family Matters”
International Song (public vote)
Alex Warren – “Ordinary”
Chappell Roan – “Pink Pony Club”
Disco Lines x Tinashe – “No Broke Boys”
GG Perez – “Sailor Song”
Gracie Abrams – “That’s So True”
Hunter X – “Golden”
Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars – “Die With a Smile”
Raven Lenni – “Love Me Not”
Rose x 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/Rap
Central Cee
Dave
Jim Legxacy
Little Simz
Loyle Carner
R&B
Jim Legxacy
KWN
Mabel
Sasha Keeble
Sault
Dance Act
Calvin Harris and Clementine Douglas
FKA twigs
Fred Again, Skepta and PlaqueBoyMax
PinkPantheress
Sammy Virgi
Critics Choice
Jacob Alon
The 2026 Brit Awards are taking place at the Co-Op Live Arena in Manchester on 28 February and will be hosted by Jack Whitehall. Viewers can watch live on ITV and ITVX.
