The Brit Award for British Album of the Year is given annually by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), which represents record companies and artists in the United Kingdom. The accolade is presented at the Brit Awards, an annual celebration of British and international music. Winners and nominees are determined by the Brit Awards voting academy, which has over one thousand members: record labels, publishers, managers, agents, and media, as well as prior winners and nominees. The award was first presented in 1977 as British Album of the Year. In 1983 and 1984, the award was non-competitive and determined by highest album sales. Album of the Year is generally seen as the Brit Awards' most prestigious honour.
The inaugural recipients of the award were The Beatles in 1977 for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The first solo artist to win the award competitively was Phil Collins, who won in 1986 for his third studio album, No Jacket Required, with Annie Lennox becoming the first solo female artist to win in 1993. Adele, Arctic Monkeys, and Coldplay hold the record for most wins in the category with three, with two-time winners Manic Street Preachers being the only other act to win more than once. Radiohead hold the record for most nominations without a win, with five. The current holder of the award is Olivia Dean, who won it in 2026 for her album The Art of Loving.
Achievements Coldplay (2001, 2003, 2006), Arctic Monkeys (2007, 2008, 2014), and Adele (2012, 2016, 2022) are the biggest winners in this category with three wins. They are followed by Manic Street Preachers (1997, 1999) with two victories. Ed Sheeran leads solo performers, with four nods. Among female artists, Adele leads with three nominations, winning each time she was nominated. Damon Albarn has the most nominations of any individual, with six, owing to his membership of both Blur and Gorillaz. Albarn ties with Coldplay for most nominations in the category.
Arctic Monkeys won in 2007 and 2008 for Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not and Favourite Worst Nightmare, making them the only consecutive winners.
In 1983, Barbra Streisand became the first woman to receive the award for Memories, which she did non-competitively for the year's best-selling album. Memories holds a unique distinction as the only compilation rather than a studio album to ever win the award. In 1993, Annie Lennox became the first female solo artist to win the competitive award for Diva. Adele is the first female artist and solo act to win the award multiple times, for 21, 25, and 30.
The youngest artist to win in the category is Dave who was 21 when he won for his debut album Psychodrama, released in 2020.
Only two non-UK artists have received the award: Barbra Streisand in 1983 for Memories and Michael Jackson in 1984 for Thriller, which was the only time the award was given to the winner without any other nominees. Those albums are notable as the only non-competitive winners in the award's history, with the award both times given directly to the year's highest-selling album. Only two other non-British artists have been nominated; The Kids from "Fame" in 1983 for The Kids from "Fame" and Irish band U2 in 1985 for The Unforgettable Fire, the latter also being the only nominee to be neither British nor American.
To date, 15 artists have won Album of the Year with their debut albums: Sade, Fairground Attraction, Seal, Coldplay, Dido, The Darkness, Keane, Arctic Monkeys, Duffy, Florence and the Machine, Mumford & Sons, Emeli Sandé, Stormzy, Dave, and Raye. Technically, Annie Lennox also won for her debut solo album, though she had already released eight albums as a member of Eurythmics, including two that were nominated in this category.
Recipients 1970s
Year Album Artist(s) 1977 (1st) Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band The Beatles The Dark Side of the Moon Pink Floyd Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Elton John Tubular Bells Mike Oldfield
1980s
Year Album Artist(s) 1982 (2nd) Kings of the Wild Frontier Adam and the Ants Dare The Human League Greatest Hits Queen 1983 (3rd) Memories Barbra Streisand Complete Madness Madness The Kids from "Fame" The Kids from "Fame" 1984 (4th) Thriller Michael Jackson 1985 (5th) Diamond Life Sade Human Racing Nik Kershaw The Unforgettable Fire U2 Welcome to the Pleasuredome Frankie Goes to Hollywood The Works Queen 1986 (6th) No Jacket Required Phil Collins Be Yourself Tonight Eurythmics Brothers in Arms Dire Straits Hounds of Love Kate Bush Songs from the Big Chair Tears for Fears 1987 (7th) Brothers in Arms Dire Straits London 0 Hull 4 The Housemartins Picture Book Simply Red Silk & Steel Five Star So Peter Gabriel 1988 (8th) ...Nothing Like the Sun Sting Actually Pet Shop Boys Bridge of Spies T'Pau Faith George Michael It's Better to Travel Swing Out Sister 1989 (9th) The First of a Million Kisses Fairground Attraction Introspective Pet Shop Boys Love Aztec Camera Roll with It Steve Winwood To Whom It May Concern The Pasadenas
1990s
Year Album Artist(s) 1990 (10th) The Raw and the Cooked Fine Young Cannibals Club Classics Vol. One Soul II Soul A New Flame Simply Red The Seeds of Love Tears for Fears We Too Are One Eurythmics 1991 (11th) Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 George Michael Affection Lisa Stansfield Choke The Beautiful South Enlightenment Van Morrison Jordan: The Comeback Prefab Sprout Sleeping with the Past Elton John 1992 (12th) Seal Seal Beverley Craven Beverley Craven Blue Lines Massive Attack Stars Simply Red The White Room The KLF 1993 (13th) Diva Annie Lennox Hormonally Yours Shakespears Sister The One Elton John U.F.Orb The Orb Up Right Said Fred We Can't Dance Genesis 1994 (14th) Connected Stereo MC's Emergency on Planet Earth Jamiroquai So Close Dina Carroll Suede Suede Ten Summoner's Tales Sting 1995 (15th) Parklife Blur Always & Forever Eternal Definitely Maybe Oasis The Division Bell Pink Floyd Protection Massive Attack 1996 (16th) (What's the Story) Morning Glory? Oasis The Bends Radiohead Different Class Pulp The Great Escape Blur Stanley Road Paul Weller 1997 (17th) Everything Must Go Manic Street Preachers K Kula Shaker Moseley Shoals Ocean Colour Scene Ocean Drive Lighthouse Family Older George Michael 1998 (18th) Urban Hymns The Verve Be Here Now Oasis The Fat of the Land The Prodigy OK Computer Radiohead White on Blonde Texas 1999 (19th) This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours Manic Street Preachers Bring It On Gomez I've Been Expecting You Robbie Williams International Velvet Catatonia Mezzanine Massive Attack
2000s
Year Album Artist(s) 2000 (20th) The Man Who Travis Liquid Skin Gomez Performance and Cocktails Stereophonics Remedy Basement Jaxx Surrender The Chemical Brothers 2001 (21st) Parachutes Coldplay Born to Do It Craig David Kid A Radiohead Lost Songs 95–98 David Gray Sing When You're Winning Robbie Williams 2002 (22nd) No Angel Dido Born to Do It Craig David Gorillaz Gorillaz The Invisible Band Travis Kid A Radiohead 2003 (23rd) A Rush of Blood to the Head Coldplay Angels with Dirty Faces Sugababes The Coral The Coral A Little Deeper Ms. Dynamite Original Pirate Material The Streets 2004 (24th) Permission to Land The Darkness Gotta Get thru This Daniel Bedingfield Life for Rent Dido Magic and Medicine The Coral Think Tank Blur 2005 (25th) Hopes and Fears Keane Absolution Muse Final Straw Snow Patrol Franz Ferdinand Franz Ferdinand A Grand Don't Come for Free The Streets 2006 (26th) X&Y Coldplay Aerial Kate Bush Back to Bedlam James Blunt Demon Days Gorillaz Employment Kaiser Chiefs 2007 (27th) Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not Arctic Monkeys Alright, Still Lily Allen Back to Black Amy Winehouse Black Holes and Revelations Muse Eyes Open Snow Patrol 2008 (28th) Favourite Worst Nightmare Arctic Monkeys Beautiful World Take That Life in Cartoon Motion Mika Spirit Leona Lewis Version Mark Ronson 2009 (29th) Rockferry Duffy In Rainbows Radiohead The Seldom Seen Kid Elbow Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends Coldplay We Started Nothing The Ting Tings
2010s
Year Album Artist(s) 2010 (30th) Lungs Florence and the Machine It's Not Me, It's You Lily Allen Sunny Side Up Paolo Nutini Tongue n' Cheek Dizzee Rascal West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum Kasabian 2011 (31st) Sigh No More Mumford & Sons The Defamation of Strickland Banks Plan B Disc-Overy Tinie Tempah Progress Take That xx The xx 2012 (32nd) 21 Adele Ceremonials Florence and the Machine Let England Shake PJ Harvey Mylo Xyloto Coldplay + Ed Sheeran 2013 (33rd) Our Version of Events Emeli Sandé An Awesome Wave alt-J Babel Mumford & Sons Fall to Grace Paloma Faith Ill Manors Plan B 2014 (34th) AM Arctic Monkeys Bad Blood Bastille Home Rudimental The Next Day David Bowie Settle Disclosure 2015 (35th) x Ed Sheeran In the Lonely Hour Sam Smith Royal Blood Royal Blood This Is All Yours alt-J Wanted on Voyage George Ezra 2016 (36th) 25 Adele Chaos and the Calm James Bay A Head Full of Dreams Coldplay How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful Florence and the Machine In Colour Jamie xx 2017 (37th) Blackstar David Bowie I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It The 1975 Konnichiwa Skepta Love & Hate Michael Kiwanuka Made in the Manor Kano 2018 (38th) Gang Signs & Prayer Stormzy Common Sense J Hus ÷ Ed Sheeran Dua Lipa Dua Lipa Human Rag'n'Bone Man 2019 (39th) A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships The 1975 High as Hope Florence and the Machine Lost & Found Jorja Smith Speak Your Mind Anne-Marie Staying at Tamara's George Ezra
2020s
Year Album Artist(s) 2020 (40th) Psychodrama Dave Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent Lewis Capaldi Fine Line Harry Styles Heavy Is the Head Stormzy Kiwanuka Michael Kiwanuka 2021 (41st) Future Nostalgia Dua Lipa Big Conspiracy J Hus Collapsed in Sunbeams Arlo Parks Not Your Muse Celeste What's Your Pleasure? Jessie Ware 2022 (42nd) 30 Adele = Ed Sheeran Seventeen Going Under Sam Fender Sometimes I Might Be Introvert Little Simz We're All Alone in This Together Dave 2023 (43rd) Harry's House Harry Styles Actual Life 3 (January 1 – September 9 2022) Fred Again Being Funny in a Foreign Language The 1975 This Is What I Mean Stormzy Wet Leg Wet Leg 2024 (44th) My 21st Century Blues Raye The Ballad of Darren Blur Beautiful and Brutal Yard J Hus Heavy Heavy Young Fathers No Thank You Little Simz 2025 (45th) Brat Charli XCX Dance, No One's Watching Ezra Collective Prelude to Ecstasy The Last Dinner Party Radical Optimism Dua Lipa Songs of a Lost World The Cure 2026 (46th) The Art of Loving Olivia Dean The Boy Who Played the Harp Dave The Clearing Wolf Alice People Watching Sam Fender West End Girl Lily Allen
Artists with multiple wins + Artists that received multiple awardsAwardsArtist3AdeleArctic MonkeysColdplay2Manic Street Preachers
Artists with multiple nominations 6 nominations Coldplay Damon Albarn
5 nominations Radiohead
4 nominations
Blur Florence and the Machine Ed Sheeran
3 nominations
The 1975 Adele Lily Allen Arctic Monkeys Dave Dua Lipa J Hus Elton John Annie Lennox Massive Attack George Michael Oasis Simply Red Stormzy
2 nominations
alt-J David Bowie Kate Bush The Coral Craig David Dido Dire Straits Eurythmics George Ezra Sam Fender Gomez Gorillaz Michael Kiwanuka Little Simz Manic Street Preachers Mumford & Sons Muse Pet Shop Boys Pink Floyd Plan B Queen Snow Patrol Sting The Streets Harry Styles Take That Tears for Fears Travis Robbie Williams
Notes
Notes Brothers in Arms (1986–1987), Born to Do It (2001–2002), Kid A (2001–2002) Double Nominated (What's the Story) Morning Glory? (2010) also won Brit Award for British Album of Thirty Year
References