Cardi B leads with six nominations for 2026 BET Awards

For the 2026 Black Entertainment Television (BET) Awards, Cardi B leads the way with six nominations, followed by Kendrick Lamar and Mariah the Scientist with five nominations each. Doechii, Doja Cat, Clipse, Teyana Taylor, Olivia Dean and Latto each received four.

Other significant 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, each receiving three.

Many of the BET Awards nominees have been recent winners of other prestigious music awards/ Mariah the Scientist, Teyana Taylor and Kehlani were each honored at the Billboard Women in Music event on April 29. Mariah the Scientist won the Rising Star award, Taylor took the Visionary award and Kehlani received the Impact award.

Kendrick Lamar secured five wins at the 2026 Grammys, including best record of the year and best melodic rap performance for his collaboration with SZA, “Luther.” For the BET Awards, the award-winning hit has been nominated for video of the year.

Clipse’s “Let God Sort ‘Em Out,” which received a 2026 Grammy nomination for album of the year, has been similarly nominated. Olivia Dean, who won the Grammy for best new artist on Feb. 1, is nominated for the same category. RAYE, who was Grammy-nominated in 2025 for best new artist, will be competing with Olivia Dean for this rising star award.

“One Battle After Another” and “Sinners,” both nominated for best picture at the 2026 Oscars with “One Battle After Another” winning, are both nominated at the BET Awards for best movie.

“Sinners” star Michael B. Jordan, who won an Oscar for best actor, is nominated in the same category. Delroy Lindo and Teyana Taylor, both Oscar-nominated for their supporting performances in “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another,” respectively, are also nominated.

BET has added two new categories this year: the Fashion Vanguard Award and the Pulse Award. The Fashion Vanguard Award recognizes “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.” This year’s nominees are A$AP Rocky, Bad Bunny, Beyoncé, Cardi B, Colman Domingo, Doechii, Rihanna, Teyana Taylor and Zendaya.

The Pulse Award recognizes “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.” This year’s nominees are 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 and R&B Money Podcast.

“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,” Connie Orlando, EVP, specials, music programming & music strategy at BET, said in a statement.

Orlando serves as executive producer for the 2026 BET Awards. Jesse Collins Entertainment is the production company for the show, with Jesse Collins, Dionne Harmon, and Jeannae Rouzan-Clay also serving as executive producers.

Nominees were selected by the BET Voting Academy, which is composed of entertainment professionals and influencers in the fields of music, media, digital marketing, sports journalism, public relations and creative arts.

The 2026 BET Awards, hosted by Druski, will air live on Sunday, June 28, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on BET and will be simulcast on BET HER, CMT, LOGO, MTV, MTV2, Nickelodeon (NAN), Paramount, POP, VH1, Comedy Central and TV Land.

The complete list of nominees for the 2026 BET Awards can be found at bet.com/bet-awards/nominees.