Cardi B Kevin Winter/Getty Images The 2026 BET Awards nominations have been revealed, with Cardi B leading with six nods this year.
Kendrick Lamar and Mariah the Scientist each earned five nominations, with Doechii, Doja Cat, Clipse, Teyana Taylor, Olivia Dean and Latto scoring four mentions apiece. Triple nominees include A$AP Rocky, Bruno Mars, Bryson Tiller, Chris Brown, Jill Scott, Kehlani, Metro Boomin, SZA, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, T.I. and YK Niece.
This year BET added two new categories, the Fashion Vanguard Award and the Pulse Award. The Fashion Vanguard Award “will recognize a global figure whose fashion presence has had long-standing cultural impact, has significantly influenced style narratives and continues to elevate fashion as a form of storytelling across music, film, sports, and public life,” BET said as part of Tuesday’s nominations announcement.
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The Pulse Award is given to “a creator, campaign or content series that most powerfully moved Black culture forward in digital spaces by sparking conversation, building community, and defining the moment online,” BET said.
“All of our nominees represent the very best of Black culture across music, film, sports, and beyond, and with the introduction of the Fashion Vanguard Award and the Pulse Award, we’re proud to honor even more of the ways our culture continues to show up and evolve,” BET executive vp, specials, music programming and music strategy, Connie Orlando, said in a statement.
The 2026 BET Awards are set to air live on Sunday, June 28 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on BET and a number of other Paramount networks including BET HER, CMT, Logo, MTV, MTV2, Nickelodeon, Paramount, Pop, VH1, Comedy Central and TV Land.
A complete list of this year’s nominees follows.
The Fashion Vanguard Award A$AP Rocky Bad Bunny Beyoncé Cardi B Colman Domingo Doechii Rihanna Teyana Taylor Zendaya
The Pulse Award 85 South Show Baby, This Is Keke Palmer Charlamagne Tha God Don Lemon Druski It Is What It Is Joe and Jada On the Radar R&B Money Podcast
Best Female R&B/Pop Artist Ari Lennox Coco Jones Ella Mai Jill Scott Kehlani Mariah the Scientist Olivia Dean SZA Tems
Best Male R&B/Pop Artist Brent Faiyaz Bruno Mars Bryson Tiller Chris Brown Durand Bernarr GIVĒON Leon Thomas October London Usher
Best Group 41 Clipse De La Soul FLO French Montana & Max B Metro Boomin & DJ Spinz Nas & DJ Premier Terrace Martin & Kenyon Dixon Wizkid & Asake
Best Collaboration “Chains & Whips” — Clipse & Kendrick Lamar “Errtime Remix” — Cardi B feat. Jeezy & Latto “Go Girl” — Summer Walker feat. Latto & Doja Cat “Good Flirts” — Baby Keem feat. Kendrick Lamar & Momo Boyd “Is It a Crime” — Mariah the Scientist & Kali Uchis “It Depends (The Remix)” — Chris Brown feat. Bryson Tiller & Usher “Take Me Thru Dere” — Metro Boomin feat. Quavo, Breskii, YK Niece & DJ Spinz “wgft” — Gunna feat. Burna Boy
Best Male Hip Hop Artist A$AP Rocky Baby Keem BigXthaPlug DaBaby Don Toliver Drake J. Cole Kendrick Lamar T.I.
Best Female Hip Hop Artist Cardi B Coi Leray Doechii Doja Cat GloRilla Latto Megan Thee Stallion Monaleo YK Niece
Video of the Year “100” — Ella Mai “Anxiety” — Doechii “Burning Blue” — Mariah the Scientist “Chanel” — Tyla “Escape Room (Short Film)” — Teyana Taylor “Folded” — Kehlani “LET ‘EM KNOW” — T.I. “luther” — Kendrick Lamar & SZA
Video Director of the Year A$AP Rocky & Dan Streit Anderson .Paak Benny Boom Cactus Jack Cardi B & Patientce Foster Cole Bennett Director X Hype Williams Teyana “Spike-Tey” Taylor
Best New Artist Belly Gang Kushington DESTIN CONRAD JayDon kwn Miles Minnick Monaleo Olivia Dean RAYE Trap Dickey
Album of the Year AM I THE DRAMA? — Cardi B DON’T TAP THE GLASS — Tyler, the Creator everything is a lot. — Wale HEARTS SOLD SEPARATELY — Mariah the Scientist Let God Sort Em Out — Clipse MUTT Deluxe: HEEL — Leon Thomas The Fall-Off — J. Cole The Romantic — Bruno Mars
Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award “Able” — Kirk Franklin “ABLE (REMIX)” — Darrel Walls, PJ Morton & Kim Burrell “All to Thee” — BeBe Winans “Already Good (Tasha Slide)” — Tasha Cobbs Leonard “At the Cross” — CeCe Winans “Church” — Tasha Cobbs Leonard & John Legend “Do It Again” — Kirk Franklin “Headphones” — Lecrae, Killer Mike & T.I.
Best Actress Angela Bassett Ayo Edebiri Chase Infiniti Coco Jones Cynthia Erivo Keke Palmer Quinta Brunson Regina Hall Teyana Taylor
Best Actor Aaron Pierre Aldis Hodge Anthony Mackie Colman Domingo Damson Idris Delroy Lindo Denzel Washington Michael B. Jordan Sterling K. Brown
YoungStars Award Daria Johns Graceyn “Gracie” Hollingsworth Heiress Harris Jazzy’s World TV Lela Hoffmeister North West Thaddeus J. Mixson VanVan
Best Movie Highest 2 Lowest Him Number One on the Call Sheet One Battle After Another Relationship Goals Ruth & Boaz Sinners Wicked: For Good
Sportswoman of the Year Award A’ja Wilson — Basketball Angel Reese — Basketball Claressa Shields — Boxing Coco Gauff — Tennis Flau’jae Johnson — Basketball Gabby Thomas — Track & Field Jordan Chiles — Gymnastics Naomi Osaka — Tennis Sha’Carri Richardson — Track & Field
Sportsman of the Year Award Aaron Judge — Baseball Anthony Edwards — Basketball Caleb Williams — Football Jalen Brunson — Basketball Jalen Hurts — Football LeBron James — Basketball Shedeur Sanders — Football Stephen Curry — Basketball
BET Her “Already Good (Tasha Slide)” — Tasha Cobbs Leonard “Be Great” — Jill Scott feat. Trombone Shorty “Beautiful People” — Jill Scott “First” — Tems “girl, get up.” — Doechii feat. SZA “Go Girl” — Summer Walker feat. Latto & Doja Cat “Gorgeous” — Doja Cat “Lady Lady” — Olivia Dean
Viewers’ Choice “Burning Blue” — Mariah the Scientist “Chains & Whips” — Clipse feat. Kendrick Lamar “Chanel” — Tyla “Folded” — Kehlani “I Just Might” — Bruno Mars “It Depends” — Chris Brown feat. Bryson Tiller “Man I Need” — Olivia Dean “Outside” — Cardi B “Raindance” — Dave & Tems “Take Me Thru Dere” — Metro Boomin feat. Quavo, Breskii, YK Niece & DJ Spinz
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