Who won British Artist of the Year at the 2026 Brit Awards?

Olivia Dean won British Artist of the Year at the 2026 Brit Awards.

The award recognised Dean’s breakthrough year, driven by her acclaimed second album, The Art of Loving, and a run of successful singles. She was one of the ceremony’s leading nominees, alongside Lola Young, but ultimately became the night’s biggest winner.

Dean’s victory is sometimes confused with Lola Young’s success at the same ceremony: Young won Breakthrough Artist, while Dean took the top British artist honour. Sam Fender was also a major nominee and winner, but he did not receive this award.

The 2026 ceremony was notable for taking place at Manchester’s Co-op Live rather than London. Dean’s four-award haul included Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Act.