American rapper Cardi B is leading the nominations for the 2026 BET Awards with six nods, while Nigerian stars Wizkid, Tems, Burna Boy and Asake also earned recognition across major categories.
The award ceremony is set to take place on June 28 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, with comedian and internet personality Druski announced as host.
Cardi B received nominations for Album of the Year for Am I the Drama?, Best Female Hip Hop Artist, Best Collaboration, Viewers’ Choice Award, Video Director of the Year and the newly introduced Fashion Vanguard Award.
Tems secured three nominations, including Best Female R&B/Pop Artist, BET Her Award for her song First, and a Viewers’ Choice nomination for Raindance alongside Dave.
Wizkid and Asake earned a joint nomination in the Best Group category, while Burna Boy picked up a Best Collaboration nod for WGFT with Gunna.Kendrick Lamar and Mariah the Scientist followed closely behind Cardi B with five nominations each, while artistes like Doechii, Doja Cat and Teyana Taylor also received multiple nods.
This year’s BET Awards will introduce two new categories — the Fashion Vanguard Award and the Pulse Award — aimed at recognising influence in fashion, digital media and online culture.Actors with Nigerian roots also made the list, as Ayo Edebiri and Cynthia Erivo were nominated for Best Actress, while Damson Idris received a nomination for Best Actor.
