The Caribbean Music Awards 2026 take place on Saturday, September 19, 2026, at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, with the ceremony listed from 7pm to 11pm. It is the fourth edition of the awards and the first staged in the Caribbean. Winners have not been announced yet. As of September 13, 2026, results are due to be revealed at the ceremony itself, so treat any “winners list” that appears before then as unofficial.
Below is everything confirmed so far: the date and venue, how voting worked, the most-nominated artists and the full nominee lists for the main dancehall and reggae categories.
Caribbean Music Awards 2026 at a glance
- Main ceremony: Saturday, September 19, 2026, 7pm to 11pm, followed by an official after-party
- Full event: the Caribbean Music Awards Elite Weekend Experience, September 18 to 20, 2026
- Location: National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA), Frederick Street, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
- Hosts: soca star Nailah Blackman and comedian Majah Hype
- Nominations announced: June 10, 2026, with more than 250 nominees across 40-plus categories
- Public voting: June 10 to August 10, 2026, on the official website
- Organiser: Caribbean Elite Group, publisher of Caribbean Elite Magazine, with Tourism Trinidad Limited as presenting partner
- Media partner: Billboard, which is livestreaming the official red carpet special
Why the 2026 ceremony moved to Trinidad and Tobago
The first three editions, from 2023 to 2025, were held at Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, New York. The 2025 show took place on August 28, 2025, and was later broadcast on BET. In late July 2026, organisers announced that the fourth edition would move to Trinidad and Tobago, backed by Tourism Trinidad Limited with support from the Tobago Tourism Agency Limited, the Ministry of Trade, Investment and Tourism and Global Trinidad and Tobago. The theme is “Sounds of the Caribbean.”
The single night has also grown into a three-day programme. Friday, September 18, brings a welcome reception and the Caribbean Music Awards Experience Village. Saturday has the pre-show, the red carpet, the ceremony and an after-party. Sunday, September 20, closes with the Stars & Steel Pan Concert & Awards.
Performers and special honorees
The first wave of performers includes 450, reggae singer Jah Mason, Grenadian soca artist V’ghn, bouyon acts 1T1 and Theomaa, and Trinidad’s Freetown Collective. Four special honours will also be presented:
- Shyne: Global Ambassador Honor
- Calypso Rose: Elite Calypso Honor
- Alan Cavé: Elite Konpa Honor
- Patra: Lifetime Achievement Honor
How voting worked
Nominees were published on June 10, 2026, and fans voted on the Caribbean Music Awards website until August 10. The organisers describe the People’s Choice Award as decided by public votes. They have not published a detailed breakdown of how fan votes are weighed in the other categories, so we are not going to guess. Voting is now closed, and the winners will be read out at NAPA on September 19, with some steel pan awards presented at the Sunday concert.
Who leads the 2026 nominations?
- Lady Lava: 9 nominations
- Ayetian, Machel Montano and V’ghn: 7 each
- Shenseea and Skillibeng: 6 each
- Masicka, Popcaan, Valiant, Vybz Kartel and Yung Bredda: 5 each
The most-nominated song is “Shake It to the Max (Fly) [Remix]” by Moliy, Shenseea, Skillibeng and Silent Addy, with three nods. New categories this year include Dennery artist and song, zess song, konpa song, chutney soca artist and song, jab artist and song, and French Caribbean song of the year.
Caribbean Music Awards 2026 dancehall nominees
Female Dancehall Artist of the Year
Male Dancehall Artist of the Year
Dancehall Song of the Year
- “BBB (Snapchat)” – Armanii
- “G.A.D” – Jada Kingdom
- “God Is the Greatest” – Vybz Kartel
- “Passenger Princess (Story Book Riddim)” – Valiant
- “Rich Sex (Story Book Riddim)” – Masicka
- “Shake It to the Max (Remix)” – Moliy, Skillibeng & Shenseea
- “Wah Yo Deh Pon” – Ayetian & Govana
- “WYFL” – Skippa
Dancehall Collaboration of the Year
- “Wah Yo Deh Pon” – Ayetian & Govana
- “Tip (Remix)” – Ayetian & Skillibeng
- “Glory” – Ding Dong & Vanessa Bling
- “Shake It to the Max (Fly) [Remix]” – Moliy, Shenseea & Skillibeng
- “Kick It Wid Myself” – Popcaan & Chronic Law
- “New Gear” – Skillibeng & Vybz Kartel
Dancehall Album of the Year
- Her Name Is Love – Masicka
- Nothing Without God – Popcaan
- Pieces of Me – 450
- Prove Them Wrong – Valiant
- Saint – Prince Swanny
- The Impact – Armanii
- Viking (Vybz Is King): 10th Year Anniversary – Vybz Kartel
- From Ding Dong to World Ding – Ding Dong
Dancehall Impact Award
- Ayetian
- D’yani
- Kman 6ixx
- Malie Donn
- Nigy Boy
- Rajah Wild
- Skippa
- Stalk Ashley
Dancehall Best New Artist
- Ayetian
- Jamal
- Khandi Brawling
- Likkle Addi
- Najeeriii
- Nhance
- Skippa
Caribbean Music Awards 2026 reggae nominees
Male Reggae Artist of the Year
- Beres Hammond
- Buju Banton
- Christopher Martin
- Chronixx
- Damian Marley
- Romain Virgo
- Shaggy
- Tarrus Riley
Female Reggae Artist of the Year
- Alaine
- Etana
- Koffee
- Lila Iké
- Queen Omega
- Sevana
- Tanya Stephens
- Tessanne Chin
Reggae Song of the Year
- “BIG 45” – Protoje
- “Good Music” – Anthony B
- “Jamaica Strong” – Aiesha
- “So High” – Jesse Royal & Agent Sasco
- “The Door” – Zion Marley
- “Til A Mawnin” – Shaggy & Sting
- “Wife and Sweetheart” – Christopher Martin
Reggae Album of the Year
- Blxxd & Fyah – Keznamdi
- Exile – Chronixx
- Feeling Irie – Glen Washington
- God and I – I-Octane
- Jamdown – Sanchez
- No Place Like Home – Jesse Royal
- Treasure Self Love – Lila Iké
- Weekend Dude – Duane Stephenson
People’s Choice Award nominees
- Alkaline
- Dexta Daps
- Kes
- Lady Lava
- Shenseea
- Voice
- Vybz Kartel
- Yung Bredda
The full slate, including soca, bouyon, konpa, zess, dennery, jab, chutney soca, Latin and French Caribbean categories, is on the official Caribbean Music Awards website.
Stalk Ashley at the 2026 Caribbean Music Awards
Stalk Ashley has two nominations this year: Female Dancehall Artist of the Year and the Dancehall Impact Award. Her result in both categories will be known on September 19; nothing has been announced yet. It is her second straight nomination for Female Dancehall Artist of the Year, a category Shenseea won in 2025, and last year “Really Like U” with Skillibeng was also up for Dancehall Collaboration of the Year.
Her 2026 run gave voters plenty to weigh. In February she released “Ready for the Ride” with Sean Paul, and in August she joined 450 on “Good Ole” (more on the 450 collaboration). 450 is on the performer line-up and is nominated for Dancehall Album of the Year for Pieces of Me. Read more about Stalk Ashley’s 2026 nominations.
Who won at the 2025 Caribbean Music Awards?
For context, these were the headline winners at Kings Theatre on August 28, 2025, as reported by DancehallMag:
- Female Dancehall Artist of the Year: Shenseea
- Male Dancehall Artist of the Year: Valiant
- Female Reggae Artist of the Year: Lila Iké
- Male Reggae Artist of the Year: Romain Virgo
- Female Soca Artist of the Year: Patrice Roberts
- Male Soca Artist of the Year: Skinny Fabulous
- Reggae Collaboration of the Year: “Thank You Lord” – Bugle with Buju Banton and Damian Marley
The 2026 winners list will be added here once the results are confirmed after the ceremony.
Frequently asked questions
When are the Caribbean Music Awards 2026?
The main ceremony is on Saturday, September 19, 2026, listed from 7pm to 11pm. It sits within the Caribbean Music Awards Elite Weekend Experience, which runs from September 18 to 20.
Where are the Caribbean Music Awards 2026 being held?
At the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. It is the first edition held in the Caribbean; the first three were at Kings Theatre in Brooklyn.
Have the Caribbean Music Awards 2026 winners been announced?
Not yet. As of September 13, 2026, no official winners have been published, and results are due to be revealed at the ceremony on September 19.
Who is nominated for Female Dancehall Artist of the Year 2026?
Jada Kingdom, Shaneil Muir, Shenseea, Spice, Stalk Ashley and Vanessa Bling. Shenseea won the category in 2025.
Who has the most nominations at the 2026 Caribbean Music Awards?
Trinidadian artist Lady Lava leads with nine nominations. Ayetian, Machel Montano and V’ghn follow with seven each.
Sources
- Billboard: 2026 Caribbean Music Awards Nominees: Lady Lava, Machel Montano, Ayetian & More (June 10, 2026)
- Billboard: Caribbean Music Awards Move to Trinidad & Tobago for 2026 Ceremony (July 29, updated Aug 11, 2026)
- antiMusic: Caribbean Music Awards Nominees Announced (official announcement and full list, June 10, 2026)
- Caribbean Music Awards: official site (schedule, venue)
- Caribbean Music Awards: Key Dates
- Caribbean Music Awards: Categories and voting process
- Caribbean Music Awards: About
- Kaboom Magazine: 450, V’ghn, Jah Mason among first wave of performers (Sept 1, 2026)
- DancehallMag: Romain Virgo, Shenseea and Bugle emerged as big winners at Caribbean Music Awards 2025
- Buzzin Online: Prince Swanny and Kman 6ixx lead Trinidad’s dancehall nominations (Aug 2026)
- DancehallMag: Second US Gold certification for ‘Shake It to the Max’ remix
