Overview
- The ceremony will be held at Manchester’s 23,500-capacity Co‑op Live on February 28, 2026, with Greater Manchester also hosting in 2027 for the first BRITs outside London since 1977.
- The 2026 eligibility window runs from December 6, 2024 to December 4, 2025, with major categories now requiring a Top 30 album or two Top 20 singles and Album of the Year restricted to LPs that hit the Top 30.
- Genre awards for Alternative/Rock, Dance, Hip Hop/Grime/Rap, Pop and R&B keep the existing threshold of a Top 40 album or single in the period.
- Rising Star reverts to its original Critics’ Choice name with criteria unchanged, and Best New Artist becomes Breakthrough Artist to reflect career progression.
- RCA UK co-president Stacey Tang chairs the 2026 committee as Sony Music UK steers the show for the next three years, with Misty Buckley, Phil Heyes, Sally Wood and Maggie Crowe OBE leading production, and the broadcast confirmed for ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player with Mastercard continuing as headline sponsor.