Lily Allen, Olivia Dean, and Wolf Alice earn nominations at the Ivors 2026, celebrating standout songwriting and composition across music, film, and TV.
The 2026 Ivor Novello Awards are shaping up to be a strong celebration of songwriting craft, with Lily Allen, Olivia Dean, and Wolf Alice leading this year’s list of nominees. The Ivors continue to spotlight British and Irish talent across songwriting and composition, including work created for film and television. The nominations stretch across a wide mix of voices and styles. Artists like Lola Young, Florence + The Machine, CMAT, Little Simz, Coldplay, Damon Albarn, Jacob Alon, Self Esteem, Jim Legxacy, and Kae Tempest also feature, with Tempest earning two nominations in the best contemporary song category. Beyond individual tracks, the awards continue to recognise wider contributions to UK music culture from both solo artists and groups.
In the best album category, Allen earns a nod for her “punchy and forthright” West End Girl. Jim Legxacy’s “bold and genre-traversing” black British music stands alongside Olivia Dean’s “divine sophomore” The Art Of Loving. They compete with Wolf Alice’s fourth record, “The Clearing”, and CMAT’s EURO-COUNTRY, making for a tightly contested lineup.
The nominations also extend into screen composition, with shortlisted composers behind Oscar-nominated scores such as Bugonia and The Brutalist, as well as popular television soundtracks like Adolescence. While many categories focus on the past year’s standout songwriting, the PRS For Music prize highlights tracks with the highest level of public reach and performance. This means newer releases sit alongside older hits, including ‘Man I Need’ by Dean, ‘Messy’ by Lola Young, ‘Stargazing’ by Myles Smith, ‘The Days’ by Chrystal, and even Coldplay’s 2008 record ‘Viva La Vida’ following its renewed global presence.
In total, 61 songwriters and composers have been nominated, with 34 receiving their first recognition. Tom Gray, the chair of The Ivors Academy, summed it up best. He said, “To be recognised by your peers for exceptional craft and originality at The Ivors is one of the greatest honours in music writing.”
The award ceremony will take place on 21st May in London. The full list of nominations is –
BEST ALBUM
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blackbritish music – written by Jim Legxacy and Joe Stanley, performed by Jim Legxacy
EURO-COUNTRY – written and performed by CMAT
The Art Of Loving – written by Olivia Dean, Bastian Langebaek and Max Wolfgang, performed by Olivia Dean
The Clearing – written by JoffOddie and Ellie Rowsell, performed by Wolf Alice
West End Girl – written by Lily Allen, Chloe Angelides, Kito and Blue May, performed by Lily Allen
BEST CONTEMPORARY SONG
Damascus – written by Damon Albarn, YasiinBey and Omar Souleyman, performed by Gorillaz featuring Omar Souleyman and YasiinBey
Free – written by Alex Bonfanti, Miles Clinton James and Little Simz, performed by Little Simz
I Do And I Don’t Care – written by Johan Hugo and Self Esteem, performed by Self Esteem
I Stand On The Line – written by Fraser T Smith and Kae Tempest, performed by Kae Tempest
Know Yourself – written by Tom Rowlands, Fraser T Smith and Kae Tempest, performed by Kae Tempest
BEST SONG MUSICALLY AND LYRICALLY
Don’t Fall Asleep – written and performed by Jacob Alon
Everybody Scream – written by Mark Bowen, Mitski and Florence Welch, performed by Florence + The Machine
Focus Is Power – written by Johan Hugo, Self Esteem and Jacob Vetter, performed by Self Esteem
The Sofa – written by Ellie Rowsell, performed by Wolf Alice
Weeds – written by Tove Burman, Anya Jones and Jon Shave, performed by Sugababes
PRS FOR MUSIC MOST PERFORMED WORK
Man I Need – written by Olivia Dean, Tobias Jesso Jr. and Zach Nahome, performed by Olivia Dean
Messy – written and performed by Lola Young
Stargazing – written by Peter Fenn, Jesse Fink and Myles Smith, performed by Myles Smith
The Days – written and performed by Chrystal
Viva La Vida – written by Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion and Chris Martin, performed by Coldplay
RISING STAR AWARD
Chloe Qisha
Divorce
Jacob Alon
Kwn
Skye Newman
BEST ORIGINAL FILM SCORE
Bugonia – composed by JerskinFendrix
Dragonfly – composed by Raffertie
Nosferatu – composed by Robin Carolan
Testimony – composed by Tom Hodge
The Brutalist – composed by Daniel Blumberg
BEST TELEVISION SOUNDTRACK
Adolescence – composed by Aaron May and David Ridley
Lazarus – composed by Sarah Warne
Summerwater – composed by Gazelle Twin
This City Is Ours – composed by Rael Jones
Trespasses – composed by David Holmes and Brian Irvine
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