The 18th Headies has released its full nomination list, placing several of Nigeria’s biggest music stars in contention for honours at the 2026 awards.
The nominees were officially unveiled on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, under the theme “Africa to the World,” with eligible music drawn from works released between August 1, 2024 and April 30, 2026.
The nomination categories cover singles, albums, EPs, music videos, songwriting, performances, digital impact, regional African music and other areas of the industry.
The official nomination list includes categories such as Best Recording of the Year, Song of the Year, Afrobeats Single of the Year, Afrobeats Album of the Year, Album of the Year, Best Male Artiste, Best Female Artiste, Next Rated, Best Performer and Digital Artiste of the Year.
Davido is represented in several major categories, including Afrobeats Album of the Year with 5ive and Afrobeats Single of the Year with “With You,” his collaboration with Omah Lay.
Wizkid’s Morayo is nominated in the Afrobeats Album of the Year and Album of the Year categories, while Burna Boy’s No Sign of Weakness also appears in both album categories.
Burna Boy’s “Bundle By Bundle” is additionally listed in the Afrobeats Single of the Year category.
The Song of the Year nominations include “Arike” by Kunmie, “Hey Jago” by Poco Lee, Shoday and Rahman Jago, “Hot Body” by Ayra Starr, “Joy Is Coming” by Fido, “MMS” by Asake and Wizkid, and “With You” by Davido and Omah Lay.
The Afrobeats Single of the Year category includes “Fun” by Rema, “Jogodo” by Asake and Wizkid, “Laho” by Shallipopi, “With You” by Davido and Omah Lay, “You” by FOLA and “Bundle By Bundle” by Burna Boy.
The Afrobeats Album of the Year category features Davido’s 5ive, BNXN’s Captain, Omah Lay’s Clarity of Mind, Adekunle Gold’s Fuji, Wizkid’s Morayo and Burna Boy’s No Sign of Weakness.
The Album of the Year category also includes Catharsis by FOLA, Clarity of Mind by Omah Lay, G.O.A.T by Erigga, Morayo by Wizkid, No Sign of Weakness by Burna Boy, The Machine Is Coming by Odumodublvck and This One Is Personal by Tiwa Savage.
The Best Male Artiste category features Adekunle Gold, Asake, FOLA, Mavo, Rema, Wizkid and Burna Boy.
The Best Female Artiste category features Ayra Starr, Qing Madi, Sewa, Tems, Teni and Tiwa Savage.
The Next Rated category features Fido, FOLA, Llona, Mavo and Shoday, while the Rookie of the Year category includes Amma, Danpapa Gta, Firstklaz, Kidd Carder, No11, Priesst and OG Abbah.
The Best Collaboration category includes “With You” by Davido and Omah Lay alongside collaborations involving CKay and Mavo, Mavo and Wave$tar, Poco Lee and others, FOLA and Kizz Daniel, Odumodublvck and Victony, and Mr Eazi and King Promise.
The Best Recording of the Year category includes “Arike” by Kunmie, “How Do You?” by Amaeya, “Baby (Is It a Crime)” by Rema, “Coping Mechanism” by Omah Lay and Elmah, “With You” by Davido and Omah Lay, and “You” by FOLA.
The Headies is also introducing its 18th-edition activities in Toronto as part of its move to Canada for the awards ceremony.
The official Headies website currently lists the main awards ceremony for Friday, October 23, 2026, at 9:00 p.m. in Toronto, with the red carpet scheduled earlier that evening.
However, another official Headies page, the call-for-entry page, still states that the ceremony will take place on October 25, 2026, also in Toronto.
The official events calendar provides additional Headies Week activities, including the Talent Showcase on Saturday, October 17, Headies Rewind on Tuesday, October 20, the DJ Obi Welcome and Nominees’ Party on Wednesday, October 21, and the Creative Summit, Trade and Investment Summit and other activities on Thursday, October 22.
The 18th Headies marks another stage in the awards’ international expansion, with the organisers describing the move to Canada as part of the broader “Africa to the World” theme.
