Cardi B leads the nominations for the 2026 BET Awards, earning six nods this year. The “Bodak Yellow” rapper tops the field, followed by Kendrick Lamar and Mariah the Scientist, who each scored five nominations. Doechii, Doja Cat, Clipse, Teyana Taylor, Olivia Dean, and Latto also emerged as major contenders with four nominations apiece.
Cardi B’s nominations include the inaugural Fashion Vanguard Award, Best Collaboration for “Errtime Remix” featuring Jeezy and Latto, Best Female Hip Hop Artist, Video Director of the Year alongside Patience Foster, Album of the Year for AM I THE DRAMA?, and the Viewers’ Choice Award for “Outside.”
Kendrick Lamar earned five nominations, including Best Collaboration for “Chains & Whips” with Clipse and “Good Flirts” with Baby Keem and Momo Boyd. He is also nominated for Best Male Hip Hop Artist, Video of the Year for “luther” with SZA, and the Viewers’ Choice Award for “Chains & Whips.”
Selected by the BET Voting Academy — an esteemed collective of entertainment professionals and influencers spanning music, media, sports journalism, public relations, digital marketing, and the creative arts — this year’s nominees reflect the breadth of Black excellence across music, television, film, and sports.
Additional nominees include A$AP Rocky, Bruno Mars, Bryson Tiller, Chris Brown, Jill Scott, Kehlani, Metro Boomin, SZA, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, T.I., and YK Niece.
This year, BET is also introducing two new categories. The Fashion Vanguard Award honors a global figure whose style has made a lasting cultural impact and elevated fashion as a form of storytelling across music, film, sports, and public life. Nominees include A$AP Rocky, Bad Bunny, Beyoncé, Cardi B, Colman Domingo, Doechii, Rihanna, Teyana Taylor, and Zendaya.
The newly launched Pulse Award recognizes a creator, campaign, or content series that has most powerfully moved Black culture forward in digital spaces by sparking conversation, building community, and shaping online culture. This year’s nominees include 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,” said Connie Orlando, EVP of Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy at BET. “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 evolve and shape the world.”
Orlando also serves as executive producer for the 2026 BET Awards. Jesse Collins Entertainment will produce the ceremony, with Jesse Collins, Dionne Harmon, and Jeannae Rouzan-Clay joining as executive producers.
Voting for the BET Awards 2026 Viewers’ Choice Award will open soon.
The BET Awards 2026 will air live on Sunday, June 28, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on BET and simulcast across several sister channels, including MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount, Comedy Central, and TV Land.