BET Awards 2026: Major Category Prediction Updates
We are officially two weeks out from Culture's Biggest Night, so you know what that means…the picture is getting clearer.
1 / 10
“Am I the Drama?” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 200,000 first-week units, which is the biggest sales week for an R&B/hip-hop album by a woman in 2025, and the fastest female rap album to go triple platinum in the 2020s. It also won Outstanding Album at the 57th NAACP Image Awards and Best Hip-Hop Album at the 2026 American Music Awards. Tyler, the Creator and Clipse are both legitimate nominees, but this one still belongs to Cardi B.
Photo By Getty
2 / 10
"luther" won Record of the Year at the 2026 Grammys and took Outstanding Music Video at the NAACP Image Awards. The song also won Record of the Year at the 2026 Grammys and took home Outstanding Music Video/Visual Album at the NAACP Image Awards, the strongest awards-season résumé in the category. Mariah the Scientist's "Burning Blue" and Teyana Taylor's “Escape Room” are genuine challengers. Though "luther" has the clearest path.
Photo By Getty
3 / 10
Lamar won five Grammys in February, dethroning Jay-Z as the most-awarded rapper in Grammy history with 27 total wins. Nobody in this field comes close to his 2025-26 résumé.
Photo By Getty
4 / 10
Six nominations. A headlining tour. The first female rapper in history to have her first two albums debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Yeah, this is Cardi's award.
Photo By Getty
5 / 10
Jordan won the Oscar for Best Actor for “Sinners,” the first Black man to win the lead actor Oscar since Jamie Foxx in 2005. Denzel Washington holds the all-time BET award Best Actor record. This year, Jordan's taking it.
Photo By Getty
ADVERTISEMENT
6 / 10
Taylor won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress and earned an Oscar nomination for “One Battle After Another.” She's also the 2026 Icon of the Year honoree. The Best Actress category is stacked (Angela Bassett, Ayo Edebiri, Cynthia Erivo), but this is Taylor’s year, full stop.
Photo By Getty
7 / 10
The WNBA's first-ever MVP/DPOY/Finals MVP trifecta in a single season. AP and Time magazine both named her Female Athlete of the Year for 2025. Angel Reese has the culture vote and has three prior wins. Wilson has everything she needs to take it this year.
Photo By Getty
8 / 10
He's averaging 30.1 points in the NBA playoffs while the BET Awards are being planned. No other nominee on this list is competing for a championship the same week the trophies are handed out. Timing is undefeated.
Photo By Getty
9 / 10
The new category's inaugural winner sets the tone for what this award means going forward. Both frontrunners are institution-level fashion figures. A$AP Rocky just won the CFDA Fashion Icon award and could make noise, but this feels like a moment to crown one of BET’s foundational artists. If we have to choose…it’s the Bad Gal over the Bey.
Photo By Getty
