About The BRIT Awards Voting Academy
The BRIT Awards Voting Academy are responsible for determining the nominees and the overall winners of categories including Artist of the Year, Album of the Year and Breakthrough Artist. The Academy is comprised of approximately 1,200 members who are responsible for shaping the creative and commercial success of the British music industry, including artists, producers, labels, retailers, publishers, managers, media, live, social and digital service providers.
The Academy and the voting process, including all public voting is overseen by Civica Election Services – an independent voting scrutineer.
Voting Academy Demographics
The Voting Academy is refreshed annually to ensure it remains reflective of the industry and society as a whole. The Voting Academy is composed of approximately 1,200 individuals drawn from across the music industry.
Out of 1,530 invitations, 1,270 have taken up the invitation and been successfully registered to be on the BRIT Awards Voting Academy for 2026.
Breakdown by Gender
47% of the BRIT Awards Voting Academy identify as female/woman, with 48% identifying as male/man, 1% identifying as non-binary and 1% preferring to self describe. 4% of those registered preferred not to say.
Breakdown by Ethnicity
25% of the Voting Academy identify as Black, Asian, or of ethnic minority background – 10% identify as Black, 4% identify as South Asian, 1% identify as East & South East Asian, 9% identify as being from mixed or multiple ethnicities, and 1% selected 'any other ethnic group'. 70% of the Voting Academy identified as White.
Breakdown by Age
30% of those registered are aged 25-34, with 35% aged 35-44. 19% are aged 45-54, 9% aged 55-64, 2% are 65+ with 1% aged 18-24.
Breakdown by Sexual Orientation
75% identify as heterosexual/straight, with 5% identifying as a Gay Man, 4% identifying as Bisexual, 3% identifying as Queer, 2% identifying as a Gay Woman/Lesbian and 1% identifying as Pansexual, Questioning or Preferring to Self-describe.
Breakdown by Disability
4% of the Voting Academy consider themselves deaf or disabled.
Breakdown by Neurodiversity
13% of the Voting Academy consider themselves neurodivergent.
BRIT Awards Categories
The BRITs are committed to equity and inclusion, and we strive to see representation and diversity reflected across the voting categories. The BRITs seek to continually evolve to reflect our dynamic music scene, and underpinning this approach is an annual review of the voting and nominations mechanics and eligibility criteria.
The full list of categories for The BRIT Awards 2026 are:
- Artist of the Year
- Group of the Year
- Breakthrough Act
- BRITs Critics' Choice
- Song of the Year
- Album of the Year
- International Artist of the Year
- International Song of the Year
- International Group of the Year
- Alternative/Rock Act
- Pop Act
- R&B Act
- Dance Act
- Hip Hop/Grime/Rap Act
- Producer of the Year
- Songwriter of the Year
How does Voting Work? Who decides the Winners?
The Voting Academy are invited each year to determine the nominees and winners for the majority of the categories, including:
- Artist of the Year
- Group of the Year
- Best New Artist
- Album of the Year
- International Artist of the Year
- International Group of the Year
- Alternative/Rock Act
- Dance Act
- Hip Hop/Grime/Rap Act
- Pop Act
- R&B Act
The categories for Song of the Year and International Song of the Year will be decided by public vote exclusively on WhatsApp.
The following categories are exceptions and are not voted for by the Voting Academy:
- Producer of the Year - Honorary award, decided by a separate expert panel.
- Songwriter of the Year - Honorary award, decided by a separate expert panel.
BRITs Critics' Choice
Invited panel of music editors and critics from the national press, online music editors, heads of music at radio and music TV stations plus songwriters, producers and live bookers.
Voting for this category takes place towards the end of the calendar year.
Nationality Criteria
Artists will need meet one of three criteria to be eligible for the British Award categories:
1. They were born in the UK.
2. They are a UK passport holder (this includes those that hold more than one passport).
3. They have been permanently resident in the UK for more than five years.
To be eligible for British Group and other British categories, 50% of artist’s individual signed members must qualify as British in accordance with the above.
The International Award categories encompass all artists who do not qualify as British.