LAGOS — Nigerian music’s dominance at the 2026 BET Awards is now fully confirmed. Tems leads the Nigerian contingent with three nominations: Best Female R&B/Pop Artist, the BET Her Award for First, and the Viewers’ Choice Award for Raindance. The ceremony takes place on Sunday, June 28, in Los Angeles.
Wizkid and Asake earned a joint nomination in the Best Group category for their EP REAL Vol. 1, which has dominated streaming charts since its release in late May. The nomination is historic as the first time an African duo has been jointly nominated in that category at the BET Awards.
Burna Boy received a Best Collaboration nomination for WGFT, his feature on Gunna’s album. Wizkid was also individually nominated for Best Male R&B/Pop Artist and Best International Act. Asake earned a Best International Act nomination in his own right.
British-Nigerian Talent Also Shines
British-Nigerian actress Ayo Edebiri and actress Cynthia Erivo both received Best Actress nominations. Damson Idris earned a Best Actor nomination. The acting nominations reflect the growing global presence of the Nigerian diaspora in mainstream entertainment.
The BET Awards voting system includes a significant fan vote component for several categories. Nigerian fans have already launched coordinated social media campaigns to drive votes for Tems, Wizkid, Asake, and Burna Boy. Fan vote campaigns by Nigerian audiences have helped Nigerian artists win at major international ceremonies in previous years.
Music industry observers said Nigeria’s BET Awards presence in 2026 is its strongest ever. Multiple nominees across music and acting categories, a historic joint nomination for an African duo, and a leading nominee in Tems who is arguably the most exciting voice in global R&B right now make this year’s showing particularly significant.
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