Ivors Nominations Expose Gender Imbalance in British and Irish Music
The 2026 Ivor Novello award nominations have been unveiled, spotlighting a significant gender disparity within British and Irish songwriting. This year's list reveals that male nominees outnumber female nominees by more than two to one, with 40 men compared to 19 women, alongside two non-binary artists among the 61 recognised songwriters and composers.
Leading Nominees and Categories
Olivia Dean, Ellie Rowsell of Wolf Alice, Jacob Alon, Self Esteem, and Kae Tempest each secure two nominations, positioning them as frontrunners for the prestigious awards. Notably, Kae Tempest faces himself in the best contemporary song category, with nominations for I Stand on the Line and Know Yourself, both from his fifth album, Self Titled.
The best album category features a diverse mix of artists, including Lily Allen for her comeback album West End Girl, rapper Jim Legxacy, and breakthrough acts like CMAT. Meanwhile, the best original film score category is entirely composed of male nominees, such as Daniel Blumberg, highlighting ongoing challenges for female musicians in this space.
Research and Industry Context
Recent research from the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative at the University of Southern California underscores the issue, showing a stark decrease in female songwriters across the 1,400 most popular songs, from 18.9% in 2024 to 14.5% in 2025. This decline contrasts with the Ivors' emphasis on celebrating exceptional craft and cultural impact, as the awards position themselves as a defence of human creativity amid concerns over AI's impact on musicians' livelihoods.
Other notable nominations include Little Simz for her fifth Ivors nod, Coldplay's Viva la Vida for most performed work, and categories like rising star, which features artists such as Divorce and Jacob Alon. The winners will be announced on 21 May in London, with additional awards, including songwriter of the year, to be presented at the ceremony.
