The nominations for The BRIT Awards 2026 with Mastercard were announced today via Bring on the BRITs, a digital broadcast filmed at Manchester’s Co-op Live and streamed across the official BRITs Instagram and Facebook channels.
Hosted by Charley Marlowe and Sarah Story, the broadcast revealed nominees across 15 categories, featured first reactions from artists and offered a behind-the-scenes look at Co-op Live as the awards prepare to move to Manchester for the first time in their nearly 50-year history. The stream also included an exclusive performance from this year’s BRITs Critics’ Choice winner, Jacob Alon.
The ceremony will take place on Saturday 28 February, debuting at Co-op Live and airing exclusively on ITV and ITVX. Jack Whitehall returns to host for the sixth time. Winners will receive the iconic BRITs trophy, redesigned for 2026 by Manchester-born designer Matthew Williamson, with a design inspired by the city’s industrial heritage and global cultural reach.
Leading the nominations are Lola Young and Olivia Dean, who each receive five nods. Lola Young is nominated for Artist of the Year, Breakthrough Artist, Song of the Year with Mastercard, Alt/Rock Act and Pop Act.
Olivia Dean is shortlisted for Artist of the Year, Mastercard Album of the Year and Pop Act, alongside two Song of the Year nominations for Man I Need and Rein Me In, her collaboration with Sam Fender. Dean is also the first performer confirmed for the ceremony.
Sam Fender receives four nominations, including Artist of the Year and Mastercard Album of the Year, following a year that also saw him win the 2025 Mercury Prize. Artists with three nominations each include Dave, Fred again.., Jim Legxacy, Lily Allen and Wolf Alice.
Elsewhere, more award nominees include Calvin Harris, JADE, Ed Sheeran, Little Simz, PinkPantheress, RAYE, Skye Newman, CMAT, kwn, and Wet Leg.
Pulp receive their first BRIT nomination since 1996, shortlisted for Group of the Year.
International categories feature several first-time nominees, including Bad Bunny, Doechii, ROSALÍA and sombr, while Cynthia Erivo earns her first BRIT nomination for her performance of Defying Gravity from Wicked.
Bruno Mars appears twice in International Song of the Year through collaborations with Lady Gaga and ROSÉ.
Public voting will decide Song of the Year with Mastercard and International Song of the Year, with voting open exclusively via WhatsApp from midday on Friday 30 January until 18:00 on Friday 13 February.
Nearly 70 per cent of this year’s nominations feature women and non-binary artists, marking the highest representation to date.
Further announcements, including Songwriter of the Year and Producer of the Year, will be revealed in the coming weeks.
For a full list and more details on the nominations, visit brits.co.uk.
