# Brit Award for British Album of the Year

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 Charli XCX, who won it in 2025 for her album Brat.

## 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.
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) |
| 1977 (1st) | Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band | The Beatles |
| 1977 (1st) | The Dark Side of the Moon | Pink Floyd |
| 1977 (1st) | Goodbye Yellow Brick Road | Elton John |
| 1977 (1st) | Tubular Bells | Mike Oldfield |

### 1980s

| Year | Album | Artist(s) |
| 1982 (2nd) |
| 1982 (2nd) | Kings of the Wild Frontier | Adam and the Ants |
| 1982 (2nd) | Dare | The Human League |
| 1982 (2nd) | Greatest Hits | Queen |
| 1983 (3rd) |
| 1983 (3rd) | Memories | Barbra Streisand |
| 1983 (3rd) | Complete Madness | Madness |
| 1983 (3rd) | The Kids from "Fame" | The Kids from "Fame" |
| 1984 (4th) |
| 1984 (4th) | Thriller | Michael Jackson |
| 1985 (5th) |
| 1985 (5th) | Diamond Life | Sade |
| 1985 (5th) | Human Racing | Nik Kershaw |
| 1985 (5th) | The Unforgettable Fire | U2 |
| 1985 (5th) | Welcome to the Pleasuredome | Frankie Goes to Hollywood |
| 1985 (5th) | The Works | Queen |
| 1986 (6th) |
| 1986 (6th) | No Jacket Required | Phil Collins |
| 1986 (6th) | Be Yourself Tonight | Eurythmics |
| 1986 (6th) | Brothers in Arms | Dire Straits |
| 1986 (6th) | Hounds of Love | Kate Bush |
| 1986 (6th) | Songs from the Big Chair | Tears for Fears |
| 1987 (7th) |
| 1987 (7th) | Brothers in Arms | Dire Straits |
| 1987 (7th) | London 0 Hull 4 | The Housemartins |
| 1987 (7th) | Picture Book | Simply Red |
| 1987 (7th) | Silk & Steel | Five Star |
| 1987 (7th) | So | Peter Gabriel |
| 1988 (8th) |
| 1988 (8th) | ...Nothing Like the Sun | Sting |
| 1988 (8th) | Actually | Pet Shop Boys |
| 1988 (8th) | Bridge of Spies | T'Pau |
| 1988 (8th) | Faith | George Michael |
| 1988 (8th) | It's Better to Travel | Swing Out Sister |
| 1989 (9th) |
| 1989 (9th) | The First of a Million Kisses | Fairground Attraction |
| 1989 (9th) | Introspective | Pet Shop Boys |
| 1989 (9th) | Love | Aztec Camera |
| 1989 (9th) | Roll with It | Steve Winwood |
| 1989 (9th) | To Whom It May Concern | The Pasadenas |

### 1990s

| Year | Album | Artist(s) |
| 1990 (10th) |
| 1990 (10th) | The Raw and the Cooked | Fine Young Cannibals |
| 1990 (10th) | Club Classics Vol. One | Soul II Soul |
| 1990 (10th) | A New Flame | Simply Red |
| 1990 (10th) | The Seeds of Love | Tears for Fears |
| 1990 (10th) | We Too Are One | Eurythmics |
| 1991 (11th) |
| 1991 (11th) | Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 | George Michael |
| 1991 (11th) | Affection | Lisa Stansfield |
| 1991 (11th) | Choke | The Beautiful South |
| 1991 (11th) | Enlightenment | Van Morrison |
| 1991 (11th) | Jordan: The Comeback | Prefab Sprout |
| 1991 (11th) | Sleeping with the Past | Elton John |
| 1992 (12th) |
| 1992 (12th) | Seal | Seal |
| 1992 (12th) | Beverley Craven | Beverley Craven |
| 1992 (12th) | Blue Lines | Massive Attack |
| 1992 (12th) | Stars | Simply Red |
| 1992 (12th) | The White Room | The KLF |
| 1993 (13th) |
| 1993 (13th) | Diva | Annie Lennox |
| 1993 (13th) | Hormonally Yours | Shakespears Sister |
| 1993 (13th) | The One | Elton John |
| 1993 (13th) | U.F.Orb | The Orb |
| 1993 (13th) | Up | Right Said Fred |
| 1993 (13th) | We Can't Dance | Genesis |
| 1994 (14th) |
| 1994 (14th) | Connected | Stereo MC's |
| 1994 (14th) | Emergency on Planet Earth | Jamiroquai |
| 1994 (14th) | So Close | Dina Carroll |
| 1994 (14th) | Suede | Suede |
| 1994 (14th) | Ten Summoner's Tales | Sting |
| 1995 (15th) |
| 1995 (15th) | Parklife | Blur |
| 1995 (15th) | Always & Forever | Eternal |
| 1995 (15th) | Definitely Maybe | Oasis |
| 1995 (15th) | The Division Bell | Pink Floyd |
| 1995 (15th) | Protection | Massive Attack |
| 1996 (16th) |
| 1996 (16th) | (What's the Story) Morning Glory? | Oasis |
| 1996 (16th) | The Bends | Radiohead |
| 1996 (16th) | Different Class | Pulp |
| 1996 (16th) | The Great Escape | Blur |
| 1996 (16th) | Stanley Road | Paul Weller |
| 1997 (17th) |
| 1997 (17th) | Everything Must Go | Manic Street Preachers |
| 1997 (17th) | K | Kula Shaker |
| 1997 (17th) | Moseley Shoals | Ocean Colour Scene |
| 1997 (17th) | Ocean Drive | Lighthouse Family |
| 1997 (17th) | Older | George Michael |
| 1998 (18th) |
| 1998 (18th) | Urban Hymns | The Verve |
| 1998 (18th) | Be Here Now | Oasis |
| 1998 (18th) | The Fat of the Land | The Prodigy |
| 1998 (18th) | OK Computer | Radiohead |
| 1998 (18th) | White on Blonde | Texas |
| 1999 (19th) |
| 1999 (19th) | This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours | Manic Street Preachers |
| 1999 (19th) | Bring It On | Gomez |
| 1999 (19th) | I've Been Expecting You | Robbie Williams |
| 1999 (19th) | International Velvet | Catatonia |
| 1999 (19th) | Mezzanine | Massive Attack |

### 2000s

| Year | Album | Artist(s) |
| 2000 (20th) | The Man Who | Travis |
| 2000 (20th) | Liquid Skin | Gomez |
| 2000 (20th) | Performance and Cocktails | Stereophonics |
| 2000 (20th) | Remedy | Basement Jaxx |
| 2000 (20th) | Surrender | The Chemical Brothers |
| 2001 (21st) | Parachutes | Coldplay |
| 2001 (21st) | Born to Do It | Craig David |
| 2001 (21st) | Kid A | Radiohead |
| 2001 (21st) | Lost Songs 95–98 | David Gray |
| 2001 (21st) | Sing When You're Winning | Robbie Williams |
| 2002 (22nd) | No Angel | Dido |
| 2002 (22nd) | Born to Do It | Craig David |
| 2002 (22nd) | Gorillaz | Gorillaz |
| 2002 (22nd) | The Invisible Band | Travis |
| 2002 (22nd) | Kid A | Radiohead |
| 2003 (23rd) | A Rush of Blood to the Head | Coldplay |
| 2003 (23rd) | Angels with Dirty Faces | Sugababes |
| 2003 (23rd) | The Coral | The Coral |
| 2003 (23rd) | A Little Deeper | Ms. Dynamite |
| 2003 (23rd) | Original Pirate Material | The Streets |
| 2004 (24th) | Permission to Land | The Darkness |
| 2004 (24th) | Gotta Get thru This | Daniel Bedingfield |
| 2004 (24th) | Life for Rent | Dido |
| 2004 (24th) | Magic and Medicine | The Coral |
| 2004 (24th) | Think Tank | Blur |
| 2005 (25th) | Hopes and Fears | Keane |
| 2005 (25th) | Absolution | Muse |
| 2005 (25th) | Final Straw | Snow Patrol |
| 2005 (25th) | Franz Ferdinand | Franz Ferdinand |
| 2005 (25th) | A Grand Don't Come for Free | The Streets |
| 2006 (26th) | X&Y | Coldplay |
| 2006 (26th) | Aerial | Kate Bush |
| 2006 (26th) | Back to Bedlam | James Blunt |
| 2006 (26th) | Demon Days | Gorillaz |
| 2006 (26th) | Employment | Kaiser Chiefs |
| 2007 (27th) | Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not | Arctic Monkeys |
| 2007 (27th) | Alright, Still | Lily Allen |
| 2007 (27th) | Back to Black | Amy Winehouse |
| 2007 (27th) | Black Holes and Revelations | Muse |
| 2007 (27th) | Eyes Open | Snow Patrol |
| 2008 (28th) | Favourite Worst Nightmare | Arctic Monkeys |
| 2008 (28th) | Beautiful World | Take That |
| 2008 (28th) | Life in Cartoon Motion | Mika |
| 2008 (28th) | Spirit | Leona Lewis |
| 2008 (28th) | Version | Mark Ronson |
| 2009 (29th) | Rockferry | Duffy |
| 2009 (29th) | In Rainbows | Radiohead |
| 2009 (29th) | The Seldom Seen Kid | Elbow |
| 2009 (29th) | Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends | Coldplay |
| 2009 (29th) | We Started Nothing | The Ting Tings |

### 2010s

| Year | Album | Artist(s) |
| 2010 (30th) |
| 2010 (30th) | Lungs | Florence and the Machine |
| 2010 (30th) | It's Not Me, It's You | Lily Allen |
| 2010 (30th) | Sunny Side Up | Paolo Nutini |
| 2010 (30th) | Tongue n' Cheek | Dizzee Rascal |
| 2010 (30th) | West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum | Kasabian |
| 2011 (31st) |
| 2011 (31st) | Sigh No More | Mumford & Sons |
| 2011 (31st) | The Defamation of Strickland Banks | Plan B |
| 2011 (31st) | Disc-Overy | Tinie Tempah |
| 2011 (31st) | Progress | Take That |
| 2011 (31st) | xx | The xx |
| 2012 (32nd) |
| 2012 (32nd) | 21 | Adele |
| 2012 (32nd) | Ceremonials | Florence and the Machine |
| 2012 (32nd) | Let England Shake | PJ Harvey |
| 2012 (32nd) | Mylo Xyloto | Coldplay |
| 2012 (32nd) | + | Ed Sheeran |
| 2013 (33rd) |
| 2013 (33rd) | Our Version of Events | Emeli Sandé |
| 2013 (33rd) | An Awesome Wave | alt-J |
| 2013 (33rd) | Babel | Mumford & Sons |
| 2013 (33rd) | Fall to Grace | Paloma Faith |
| 2013 (33rd) | Ill Manors | Plan B |
| 2014 (34th) |
| 2014 (34th) | AM | Arctic Monkeys |
| 2014 (34th) | Bad Blood | Bastille |
| 2014 (34th) | Home | Rudimental |
| 2014 (34th) | The Next Day | David Bowie |
| 2014 (34th) | Settle | Disclosure |
| 2015 (35th) |
| 2015 (35th) | x | Ed Sheeran |
| 2015 (35th) | In the Lonely Hour | Sam Smith |
| 2015 (35th) | Royal Blood | Royal Blood |
| 2015 (35th) | This Is All Yours | alt-J |
| 2015 (35th) | Wanted on Voyage | George Ezra |
| 2016 (36th) |
| 2016 (36th) | 25 | Adele |
| 2016 (36th) | Chaos and the Calm | James Bay |
| 2016 (36th) | A Head Full of Dreams | Coldplay |
| 2016 (36th) | How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful | Florence and the Machine |
| 2016 (36th) | In Colour | Jamie xx |
| 2017 (37th) |
| 2017 (37th) | Blackstar | David Bowie |
| 2017 (37th) | I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It | The 1975 |
| 2017 (37th) | Konnichiwa | Skepta |
| 2017 (37th) | Love & Hate | Michael Kiwanuka |
| 2017 (37th) | Made in the Manor | Kano |
| 2018 (38th) |
| 2018 (38th) | Gang Signs & Prayer | Stormzy |
| 2018 (38th) | Common Sense | J Hus |
| 2018 (38th) | ÷ | Ed Sheeran |
| 2018 (38th) | Dua Lipa | Dua Lipa |
| 2018 (38th) | Human | Rag'n'Bone Man |
| 2019 (39th) |
| 2019 (39th) | A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships | The 1975 |
| 2019 (39th) | High as Hope | Florence and the Machine |
| 2019 (39th) | Lost & Found | Jorja Smith |
| 2019 (39th) | Speak Your Mind | Anne-Marie |
| 2019 (39th) | Staying at Tamara's | George Ezra |

### 2020s

| Year | Album | Artist(s) |
| 2020 (40th) |
| 2020 (40th) | Psychodrama | Dave |
| 2020 (40th) | Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent | Lewis Capaldi |
| 2020 (40th) | Fine Line | Harry Styles |
| 2020 (40th) | Heavy Is the Head | Stormzy |
| 2020 (40th) | Kiwanuka | Michael Kiwanuka |
| 2021 (41st) |
| 2021 (41st) | Future Nostalgia | Dua Lipa |
| 2021 (41st) | Big Conspiracy | J Hus |
| 2021 (41st) | Collapsed in Sunbeams | Arlo Parks |
| 2021 (41st) | Not Your Muse | Celeste |
| 2021 (41st) | What's Your Pleasure? | Jessie Ware |
| 2022 (42nd) |
| 2022 (42nd) | 30 | Adele |
| 2022 (42nd) | = | Ed Sheeran |
| 2022 (42nd) | Seventeen Going Under | Sam Fender |
| 2022 (42nd) | Sometimes I Might Be Introvert | Little Simz |
| 2022 (42nd) | We're All Alone in This Together | Dave |
| 2023 (43rd) |
| 2023 (43rd) | Harry's House | Harry Styles |
| 2023 (43rd) | Actual Life 3 (January 1 – September 9 2022) | Fred Again |
| 2023 (43rd) | Being Funny in a Foreign Language | The 1975 |
| 2023 (43rd) | This Is What I Mean | Stormzy |
| 2023 (43rd) | Wet Leg | Wet Leg |
| 2024 (44th) |
| 2024 (44th) | My 21st Century Blues | Raye |
| 2024 (44th) | The Ballad of Darren | Blur |
| 2024 (44th) | Beautiful and Brutal Yard | J Hus |
| 2024 (44th) | Heavy Heavy | Young Fathers |
| 2024 (44th) | No Thank You | Little Simz |
| 2025 (45th) |
| 2025 (45th) | Brat | Charli XCX |
| 2025 (45th) | Songs of a Lost World | The Cure |
| 2025 (45th) | Radical Optimism | Dua Lipa |
| 2025 (45th) | Dance, No One's Watching | Ezra Collective |
| 2025 (45th) | Prelude to Ecstasy | The Last Dinner Party |

## Artists with multiple wins

Artists that received multiple awards :
| Awards | Artist |
| 3 | Adele |
| 3 | Arctic Monkeys |
| 3 | Coldplay |
| 2 |
| 2 | Manic 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
* Arctic Monkeys
* Dua Lipa
* J Hus
* Elton John
* Annie Lennox
* Massive Attack
* George Michael
* Oasis
* Simply Red
* Stormzy

### 2 nominations

* Lily Allen
* alt-J
* David Bowie
* Kate Bush
* The Coral
* Dave
* Craig David
* Dido
* Dire Straits
* Eurythmics
* George Ezra
* 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
* ↑ Including three as a member of Blur and two as a member of Gorillaz.
* ↑ Including two as a member of Eurythmics.