The NME Awards are an annual UK music awards ceremony founded in 1953 by the New Musical Express (NME) magazine. The awards began as the NME Poll Winners Concerts and have grown into a ceremony that blends genuine recognition with a humorous, irreverent tone. The trophies given to winners resemble an extended middle finger. The most recent ceremony was the BandLab NME Awards 2022, held on March 2, 2022, at O2 Academy Brixton in London.
At the BandLab NME Awards 2022, Sam Fender opened the night with a performance of "Seventeen Going Under," the title track from his album that won Best Album in the World and Best Album by a UK Artist. The song's music video has accumulated over 52 million views on YouTube. Fender said upon accepting the album award: "We didn't even know we were nominated until two sentences ago."
Past Winners by Category and Year
The NME Awards have been held annually since 1953 (with gaps). Below is a reference table of winners from the most recent ceremony in 2022, covering the major categories. No ceremony has been held since 2022, and NME has not announced a date for the next edition as of August 2026.
| Year | Best Album in the World | Best Band in the World | Best Solo Act from the UK | Godlike Genius |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Sam Fender (Seventeen Going Under) | Fontaines DC | Little Simz | FKA Twigs |
| 2020 | Lana Del Rey (Norman Fucking Rockwell) | The 1975 | Taylor Swift | Courtney Love |
| 2018 | LCD Soundsystem (American Dream) | The Killers | Lorde | Shirley Manson |
The 2022 ceremony was the first NME Awards in two years, following a gap caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. FKA Twigs became the youngest ever recipient of the Godlike Genius award at age 34. Fontaines DC won Best Band in the World on the strength of their 2020 album A Hero's Death and ahead of their third album Skinty Fia (released April 2022 on Partisan Records). Little Simz won Best Solo Act from the UK for her album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert.
How the NME Awards Work
The NME Awards combine reader voting with editorial selection:
- Reader-Voted Categories: Fans vote online through the NME website for music categories including Best Album, Best Song, Best Band, Best Solo Act, Best New Act, Best Live Act, and Best Festival. Categories are split into global and UK versions, plus regional categories for Asia and Australia.
- Editorial Awards: NME staff select recipients for honorary awards including the Godlike Genius Award (a lifetime achievement honor), Icon Award, Innovation Award, Songwriter Award, and NME Radar Award (for emerging talent).
- Non-Music Categories: The ceremony includes lighthearted categories like Hero of the Year, Villain of the Year, and Music Moment of the Year, voted by readers.
The awards have historically been sponsored by brands including BandLab Technologies, which lent its name to the 2022 ceremony. Past ceremonies have featured performances from artists like FKA Twigs, Bring Me The Horizon, CHVRCHES with Robert Smith, and Sam Fender.
Real-World Example: The BandLab NME Awards 2022
The 2022 ceremony was hosted by Daisy May Cooper and Lady Leshurr at O2 Academy Brixton. Sam Fender won Best Album in the World and Best Album by a UK Artist for "Seventeen Going Under." Fontaines DC won Best Band in the World, while Little Simz won Best Solo Act from the UK.
FKA Twigs was crowned Godlike Genius, Neneh Cherry received the Icon Award, Halsey collected the Innovation Award, Jack Antonoff won the Songwriter Award, and Griff received the NME Radar Award. Liam Gallagher won Music Moment of the Year for his free concert for NHS workers.
FKA Twigs performed "Meta Angel" (with a snippet of "Tears In The Club") from her mixtape Caprisongs at the ceremony, flanked by masked dancers and wearing silver butterfly wings. She became the first Black female artist to receive the Godlike Genius award.
In the fan-voted categories, Tomorrow X Together won Hero of the Year, while Jacob Rees-Mogg was named Villain of the Year. Rina Sawayama won Best Live Act, and Olivia Rodrigo won Best New Act in the World.
Bring Me The Horizon closed the ceremony with a six-song set. Before performing "Throne," frontman Oli Sykes addressed the Russian invasion of Ukraine (which had begun days earlier), telling the crowd: "If Kyiv does not survive, international peace as we know it will not survive." Drummer Matt Nicholls performed with a Ukrainian flag on his drum skin.
No ceremony has been held since 2022. NME has not announced a date for the next edition.
Why It Matters for Independent Artists
The NME Awards have historically championed independent and alternative music. Arctic Monkeys, who swept the 2006 and 2014 ceremonies, started as an independent band. Fontaines DC, winners of Best Band in the World in 2022, emerged from Dublin's independent scene. The awards' editorial team has consistently favored artists who build grassroots followings over those pushed by major labels.
The NME Radar Award specifically targets emerging talent. Past recipients include Griff, who won in 2022 before achieving mainstream success. If you are an independent artist in the UK or Ireland, building a live following and generating critical buzz can put you on NME's radar.
The Best New Act and Best Live Act categories reward artists at early career stages. Use our Streaming Royalty Calculator to track the streaming growth that can attract editorial attention. Check the NME Awards page for updates on future ceremonies.
Related Resources
- Streaming Royalty Calculator - Track streaming growth that attracts editorial attention
- Tour Revenue Calculator - Plan live shows that support Best Live Act consideration
- 21 Ways Musicians Can Earn Income - Build revenue alongside awards strategy
- Music Festivals Directory - Find UK festivals to build live performance credentials
- Brit Awards - Compare with the UK's other major music awards ceremony
- Mercury Prize - The UK album-of-the-year prize, often overlapping with NME winners
- MTV European Music Awards - European fan-voted awards with similar categories
- Ivor Novello Awards - UK songwriting awards, complementing NME's Songwriter Award
- NME Awards Official Page - Winners, performances, and ceremony updates
