Olivia Dean, Ellie Rowsell of Wolf Alice, Jacob Alon, Self Esteem and Kae Tempest lead this yr’s Ivor Novello awards for excellence in British and Irish songwriting, with two nominations apiece. Self Esteem’s cowriter Johan Hugo, and Tempest’s Fraser T Smith, are additionally credited among the many main acts.
Tempest will go up towards himself in the perfect modern track class, with two nominations: one for I Stand on the Line, written with Smith, and one for Know Your self, written with Smith and Tom Rowlands of the Chemical Brothers. Each songs come from Tempest’s fifth album, Self Titled.
The nominations reveal the gender disparity in British and Irish music: there are greater than twice as many male nominees (40) than feminine (19), with two non-binary artists making up the 61 songwriters and composers recognised.
Analysis by the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative on the College of Southern California discovered that the variety of feminine songwriters throughout the 1,400 hottest songs of the yr had starkly decreased from 18.9% in 2024 to 14.5% in 2025.
Elsewhere amongst these names, stalwart artists corresponding to Lily Allen, Florence + the Machine and Gorillaz stand alongside these on the breakthrough finish of their profession, amongst them CMAT, Jerskin Fendrix and Lola Younger, final yr’s most-nominated artist.
Billing the awards as recognising “distinctive craft, originality and cultural impression in songwriting and display composing”, the Ivors have additionally this yr positioned themselves as “a strong affirmation of human creativity and the cultural worth of songwriters” as many are asking fearful questions on how AI will have an effect on musicians’ livelihoods.
Little Simz receives her fifth Ivors nomination for her track Free, from final yr’s album Lotus. Younger’s nomination is her fourth in complete, as is Florence Welch’s; Allen’s is her third, a mirrored image of the era-defining songwriting of her fifth album – and first in seven years – West Finish Lady, a partly fictionalised account of the breakdown of her marriage to Stranger Issues actor David Harbour.
Coldplay’s 2008 track Viva la Vida receives its third nomination in and of itself, this yr for many carried out work, following the band’s huge world tour. It’s its second time being nominated within the class; it beforehand received best-selling British single in 2010.
Allen, Wolf Alice, Dean and CMAT make up the perfect album class alongside rapper Jim Legxacy for his 2025 file Black British Music. Wolf Alice, Sugababes (greatest track musically and lyrically) and Divorce (rising star) are the one bands nominated amongst a wealth of solo artists.
In the perfect authentic movie rating soundtrack, Daniel Blumberg, previously of indie band Yuck, may increase his 2025 Oscar for his rating to The Brutalist. The class is completely comprised of male composers, indicating the challenges for feminine musicians throughout the area.
And Adolescence may proceed its awards domination in the perfect tv soundtrack class if Aaron Might and David Ridley’s work on its soundtrack beats the music for Lazarus (Sarah Warne), Summerwater (Gazelle Twin), This Metropolis Is Ours (Rael Jones) and Trespasses (David Holmes and Brian Irvine).
Final yr, Charli xcx was named songwriter of the yr in recognition of her blockbuster sixth album Brat. This yr’s winners will probably be introduced on 21 Might in London. Extra excellent achievement awards together with songwriter of the yr will probably be given on the ceremony.
The 2026 Ivor Novello nominations
Greatest album
Jim Legxacy – Black British Music (written by Legxacy and Joe Stanley)
CMAT – Euro Nation (written and carried out by CMAT)
Olivia Dean – The Artwork of Loving (written by Dean, Bastian Langebaek and Max Wolfgang)
Wolf Alice – The Clearing (written by Joff Oddie and Ellie Rowsell)
Lily Allen – West Finish Lady (written by Allen, Chloe Angelides, Kito and Blue Might)
Greatest modern track
Gorillaz – Damascus (ft Omar Souleyman and Yasiin Bey) (written by Damon Albarn, Bey and Souleyman)
Little Simz – Fireplace (written by Simz, Alex Bonfanti and Miles Clinton James)
Self Esteem – I Do and I Don’t Care (written by Self Esteem and Johan Hugo)
Kae Tempest – I Stand on the Line (written by Tempest and Fraser T Smith)
Kae Tempest – Know Your self (written by Tempest, Fraser T Smith and Tom Rowlands)
Greatest track musically and lyrically
Jacob Alon – Don’t Fall Asleep (written by Alon)
Florence + the Machine – All people Scream (written by Florence Welch, Mark Bowen and Mitski)
Self Esteem – Focus Is Energy (written by Self Esteem, Johan Hugo and Jacob Vetter)
Wolf Alice – The Couch (written by Ellie Rowsell)
Sugababes – Weeds (written by Tove Burman, Anya Jones and Jon Shave)
PRS for music most-performed work
Olivia Dean – Man I Want (written by Dean, Tobias Jesso Jr and Zach Nahome)
Lola Younger – Messy (written by Younger)
Myles Smith – Stargazing (written by Smith, Peter Fenn and Jesse Fink)
Chrystal – The Days (written by Chrystal)
Coldplay – Viva la Vida (written by Man Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion and Chris Martin)
Rising star
Chloe Qisha
Divorce
Jacob Alon
Kwn
Skye Newman
Greatest authentic movie rating
Jerskin Fendrix – Bugonia
Raffertie – Dragonfly
Robin Carolan – Nosferatu
Tom Hodge – Testimony
Daniel Blumberg – The Brutalist
Greatest tv soundtrack
Aaron Might and David Ridley – Adolescence
Sarah Warne – Lazarus
Gazelle Twin – Summerwater
Rael Jones – This Metropolis Is Ours
David Holmes and Brian Irvine – Trespasses
