BRIT Awards unveil 2026 nominees 

The BRIT Awards have officially announced its full list of 2026 nominees, having already crowned Scottish singer-songwriter Jacob Alon as the winner of this year’s Critic’s Choice Award. 

The ceremony - which will take place at Manchester’s Co-Op Live Arena on Saturday 28th February - is one of the biggest nights in British music, honouring the artists and albums which have defined the past twelve months.

Leading the charge this year are Olivia Dean, Wolf Alice, Sam Fender, Lily Allen, and Dave, who are all nominated for both Album of the Year - the biggest prize of the night - and in their respective genre categories. (They also all feature on DIY’s 2025 Albums of the Year list, too - check that out here). 

Fittingly, it’s former BRIT School pupils Olivia Dean and Lola Young who share the accolade of joint most nominations, with five apiece, while Sam Fender, Dave, Fred again.., Jim Legxacy, Lily Allen, and Wolf Alice are also up for multiple trophies. 

Elsewhere, former DIY cover stars CMAT and HAIM have both scooped nominations in each of the Awards’ international categories, while breakthrough cult favourites Geese are also up for one award (International Group of the Year), and Pulp are back with their first nomination - for Group of the Year - since 1996 (when Jarvis Cocker infamously interrupted Michael Jackson’s performance…). 

Among the contenders for Song of the Year are Lola Young’s perennial earworm ‘Messy’; RAYE’s bombastic comeback anthem ‘WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!’; and Wicked ballad ‘Defying Gravity’ - but it’s Olivia Dean who’s managed to beat the odds to have not one, but two tracks shortlisted here (‘Man I Need’ and Sam Fender collab ‘Rein Me In’).