Lily Allen, Olivia Dean and Lola Young are among the headline nominees for the 2026 Ivor Novello Awards, with this year’s shortlist highlighting the strength of British and Irish songwriting.
The 71st edition of the awards will take place in London on 21 May 2026, recognising excellence in songwriting and composition across multiple categories, with 61 individuals, 34 of which are first-time nominees.
Best album nominees include Lily Allen and Olivia Dean
Allen receives her third Ivor nomination, shortlisted for Best Album with West End Girl, her first record in seven years.
She is joined in the category by:
- Olivia Dean – The Art Of Loving
- Wolf Alice – The Clearing
- CMAT – Euro-Country
- Jim Legxacy – Black British Music
The award recognises songwriting craft, cohesion and creativity across a full body of work.
Olivia Dean and Lola Young score multiple nominations
Dean, one of 34 first time nominees, is also shortlisted for PRS for Music Most Performed Work for her track Man I Need, following a strong year that included success at the BRIT Awards.
She faces competition from:
- Lola Young – Messy
- Myles Smith – Stargazing
- Coldplay – Viva La Vida
- Chrystal – The Days
Lola Young’s nomination marks her fourth Ivor nod, continuing her momentum following multiple nominations in 2025.
Wolf Alice and Self Esteem among double nominees
Wolf Alice are also recognised twice, including a nomination for Best Song Musically and Lyrically with The Sofa.
They are shortlisted alongside:
- Jacob Alon – Don’t Fall Asleep
- Florence + The Machine – Everybody Scream
- Self Esteem – Focus Is Power
- Sugababes – Weeds
Self Esteem, whose real name is Rebecca Lucy Taylor, is also nominated in the Best Contemporary Song category for I Do and I Don’t Care.
Other contenders in that category include:
- Gorillaz feat. Omar Souleyman and Yasiin Bey – Damascus
- Little Simz – Free
- Kae Tempest – I Stand on the Line and Know Yourself
Songwriting remains at the centre of the Ivors
The Ivors continue to stand apart from other major music awards by focusing specifically on songwriting and composition.
Roberto Neri, chief executive of The Ivors Academy, said the nominations reflect the “strength, diversity and global influence” of British and Irish music.
With a mix of established names and first time nominees, the 2026 shortlist underlines the continued importance of songwriting in shaping modern music.
The Ivor Novello nominations in full:
Best Album
- Jim Legxacy – Black British Music (Jim Legxacy and Joe Stanley)
- CMAT – Euro Country Olivia Dean – The Art of Loving (Olivia Dean, Bastian Langebaek and Max Wolfgang)
- Wolf Alice – The Clearing (Joff Oddie and Ellie Rowsell)
- Lily Allen – West End Girl (Lily Allen, Chloe Angelides, Kito and Blue May)
Best Contemporary Song
- Gorillaz – Damascus, feat. Omar Souleyman and Yasiin Bey (Damon Albarn, Yasiin Bey and Omar Souleyman)
- Little Simz- Free (Alex Bonfanti, Miles Clinton James and Little Simz)
- Self Esteem – I Do and I Don’t Care (Johan Hugo and Self Esteem)
- Kae Tempest – I Stand on the Line (Fraser T Smith and Kae Tempest)
- Kae Tempest – Know Yourself (Tom Rowlands, Fraser T Smith and Kae Tempest)
Best Song Musically and Lyrically
- Jacob Alon – Don’t Fall Asleep
- Florence + The Machine – Everybody Scream (Mark Bowen, Mitski and Florence Welch)
- Self Esteem – Focus is Power (Johan Hugo, Self Esteem and Jacob Vetter)
- Wolf Alice – The Sofa (Ellie Rowsell)
- Sugababes – Weeds (Tove Burman, Anya Jones and Jon Shave)
PRS for Music Most Performed Work
- Olivia Dean – Man I Need (Olivia Dean, Tobias Jesso Jr. and Zach Nahome)
- Lola Young – Messy
- Myles Smith – Stargazing (Peter Fenn, Jesse Fink and Myles Smith)
- Chrystal – The Days
- Coldplay – Viva la Vida (Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion and Chris Martin)
Rising Star Award with Amazon Music
- Chloe Qisha
- Divorce (Tiger Cohen-Towell, Felix Mackenzie-Barrow, Adam Peter-Smith and Kasper Sandstrøm)
- Jacob Alon
- kwn
- Skye Newman
Best Original Film Score
- Jerskin Fendrix – Burgonia
- Raffertie – Dragonfly
- Robin Carolan – Nosferatu
- Tom Hodge – Testimony
- Daniel Blumberg – The Brutalist
Best Television Soundtrack
- Aaron May and David Ridley – Adolescence
- Sarah Warne – Lazarus
- Gazelle Twin – Summerwater
- Rael Jones – This City Is Ours
- David Holmes and Brian Irvine – Trespasses
