Scottish singer-songwriter Jacob Alon was the big winner at the 2026 Ivor Novello awards, which acknowledge the best in British and Irish songwriting and screen composition.

Alon, 25, has captivated audiences with their swooping voice and imaginative alt-folk arrangements, showcased on debut album In Limerence which was released in May 2025. They won the Ivor Novello award for rising star – the second such win for Alon this year, having won the equivalent prize at the 2026 Brit awards in February, called the critics’ choice award.

Alon also won the Ivor Novello category of best song musically and lyrically, for Don’t Fall Asleep, a delicate, poignant ballad inspired by the death of their cousin in an accidental drowning before Alon was born. The song imagines their cousin waking underwater after death and being guided by an angel, allowing him to watch his unborn son enter the world. “This song, to me, floats across the stormy surface of the sea of dreams, gasping against its choppy tide, resisting the soft pull below into an endless deep,” Alon has said. Judges hailed it as “profoundly emotionally honest”.

The two wins cap a successful debut album release from Alon, with In Limerence also nominated for the 2025 Mercury prize. Alon lost out there to Sam Fender, who was also a winner at the Ivor Novellos this year, being named songwriter of the year in recognition of the social realist anthems he wrote for his album People Watching.

Catalan musician Rosalía, who spliced opera, pop and avant garde electronics on her bold album Lux, won international songwriter of the year. Charismatic Irish singer-songwriter CMAT won best album for Euro-Country, which examines her own existential and romantic crises alongside those facing a recession-hit Ireland.

Kae Tempest won best contemporary song for I Stand on the Line, co-written by Fraser T Smith, which reflects on Tempest’s fraught experiences as a trans man, including his anxieties over the policing of public toilets: “I’m looking for myself, all I’m seeing is the bitterness / Coming my way when I’m using the facilities / And how many strangers will I upset today with my existence?” Judges praised the song for giving a voice to those “too often unheard”. Unusually, Tempest had been nominated twice in that category, with his song Know Yourself also up for this year’s award.

The award for most performed work went to Messy by Lola Young, reflecting how ubiquitously popular that self-lacerating alt-pop hit has been. It was released in May 2024 but had a slowburn path to UK No 1, spending four weeks atop the charts at the beginning of 2025, and has continued to be popular on streaming and radio.

Tom Hodge won the award for best original film score, for Testimony, the documentary about Ireland’s Magdalene laundries scandal, while David Holmes and Brian Irvine won best television soundtrack for Belfast-set drama Trespasses.

Nominees who missed out on awards included Olivia Dean, Self Esteem and Wolf Alice, who had each been nominated twice.

The Ivor Novellos also give out a variety of honorary prizes each year, the most prestigious being the Fellowship of the Ivors Academy, which was awarded in 2026 to George Michael and Radiohead’s Thom Yorke. Michael’s former Wham! bandmate Andrew Ridgeley accepted the award on his behalf, and pop singer Skye Newman paid tribute with a performance of Careless Whisper.

Lily Allen, Calvin Harris, Linda Perry and Kano were also given awards to recognise their respective songwriting careers.

The 2026 Ivor Novello award winners in full

Best album: CMAT – Euro-Country

Best contemporary song: Kae Tempest – I Stand on the Line

Best song musically and lyrically: Jacob Alon – Don’t Fall Asleep

Most performed work: Lola Young – Messy

Rising star: Jacob Alon

Best original film score: Tom Hodge – Testimony

Best television soundtrack: David Holmes and Brian Irvine – Trespasses

Fellowship of the Ivors Academy: George Michael, Thom Yorke

Outstanding song collection: Lily Allen

Icon award: Calvin Harris

International songwriter of the year: Rosalía

Songwriter of the year: Sam Fender

Special international award: Linda Perry

Visionary award: Kano