Olivia Dean leads the winners at the 2026 MOBO Awards in Manchester

Celebrating its 30th anniversary, the 2026 MOBO Awards took place at Manchester’s Co-op Live arena, honouring the best in Black music from the UK and around the world. British singer-songwriter Olivia Dean emerged as the night’s biggest winner, collecting three major awards: Best Female Act, Album of the Year for The Art of Loving, and Song of the Year for her chart-topping single Man I Need. Following her recent Grammy and Brit Award successes, Dean cemented her position as one of the UK’s leading contemporary artists.

The evening featured live performances from Dean herself, along with FLO, Aitch, Myles Smith, and a special grime medley curated by DJ Target, featuring Chip, D Double E, Nolay, Scorcher and Wiley. American star Pharrell Williams received the Global Songwriter Award, while rapper and storyteller Slick Rick was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Other notable winners included Jim Legxacy as Best Male Act, Raye for Video of the Year with Where Is My Husband!, and DC3, who picked up both Best Newcomer and Best Gospel Act. FLO were recognised as Best RnB/Soul Act, Ezra Collective swept up Best Jazz Act, and Central Cee, Nova Twins, and Sherelle each took prizes in their respective genres. International honours went to Arya Starr (Best International Act), Wizkid (Best African Music Act), and Vybz Kartel (Best Caribbean Music Act). Actor Stephen Graham also received recognition for his acclaimed performance in the series Adolescence, while YouTuber Niko Omilana was awarded Best Media Personality. The event marked three decades of celebrating Black creativity and influence in the global music scene.