Key Points
- The Headies has announced 213 nominations across 35 categories for its 18th edition.
- Fola leads the nominations with 10 nods, followed by Omah Lay with eight and Mavo and Wizkid with seven each.
- Awilo Longomba will receive the Headies Hall of Fame Award, while Cecil Hammond will receive the Special Recognition Award.
Main Story
The Headies has released the nominations for its 18th edition, with the African entertainment awards scheduled to take place on Oct. 25 in Toronto, Canada.
The organisers announced the nominations in a statement issued on Tuesday in Lagos.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the 2026 edition features 213 nominations across 35 categories, covering artistes and music projects released between Aug. 1, 2024 and April 30, 2026.
Fola emerged as the leading nominee with 10 nominations following the release of his debut album, Catharsis. His nominations include Album of the Year, Next Rated, Songwriter of the Year and Best Male Artiste.
Omah Lay follows with eight nominations, while Mavo and Wizkid each received seven.
Asake and Davido secured six nominations apiece, while Ayra Starr and Tiwa Savage led the female nominees with five nominations each.
Breakout artiste Kunmie also received five nominations, including Song of the Year for his single, “Arike”.
Adekunle Gold, Odumodublvck and Shoday also earned five nominations each.
Davido and Omah Lay’s “With You” emerged as the most-nominated song, appearing in six categories. They include Recording of the Year, Music Video, Best Collaboration, Afrobeats Single, Viewers’ Choice and Song of the Year.
The Next Rated category features Fido, Fola, Llona, Mavo, Shoday and Zaylevelten.
The Rookie of the Year category includes Amma, Danpapa GTA, FirstKlaz, Kidd Carder, NO11, Priesst and OG Abbah.
Nominees for Album of the Year include Fola’s Catharsis, Omah Lay’s Clarity of Mind, Erigga’s G.O.A.T, Wizkid’s Morayo, Burna Boy’s No Sign of Weakness, Odumodublvck’s The Machine is Coming and Tiwa Savage’s This is Personal.
The organisers said alternative music artistes also secured places in the general categories, while the regional awards have been expanded to cover 16 African countries.
The 2026 edition will also recognise artistes beyond the continent through categories including International Artiste of the Year and Best Canadian/African Diaspora Artiste.
Legendary Congolese musician Awilo Longomba is expected to receive the Headies Hall of Fame Award, while Cecil Hammond will be honoured with the Special Recognition Award for his contribution to African entertainment.
The Issues
The 18th Headies reflects the growing scope of African music recognition, with the organisers expanding the regional categories to 16 African countries and introducing awards that recognise artistes in the international and African diaspora space.
The nomination list also highlights strong competition among established Nigerian artistes and emerging acts, with Fola leading the overall nominations and Kunmie among the breakout artistes receiving multiple nods.
The inclusion of alternative artistes in general categories further broadens the genres represented in the awards.
What’s Being Said
The 2026 edition has 213 nominations across 35 categories, recognising artistes and music projects released between Aug. 1, 2024 and April 30, 2026.
— The Headies organisers
Artistes in the alternative genre also featured prominently in the general categories, while the regional awards had been extended to 16 African countries.
— The Headies organisers
What’s Next
The 18th Headies will hold on Oct. 25 in Toronto, Canada.
The ceremony will recognise winners across 35 categories and honour Awilo Longomba with the Headies Hall of Fame Award and Cecil Hammond with the Special Recognition Award.
Bottom Line
Fola leads a competitive 18th Headies nomination list with 10 nods, while Omah Lay, Mavo, Wizkid, Asake, Davido and other established and emerging artistes feature prominently as the awards expand their recognition across Africa and the diaspora.
