1. BEST RECORDING OF THE YEAR
A non-voting category for the best recording (that meets the judges’ requirements of excellence; songwriting, production, rendition) by an artiste or group in the year under review.
- Adekunle Gold – Ire
- Heal D World – Patoranking
- Olanrewaju – Brymo
- UyoMeyo – Teni
- Ye – Burna Boy
- BEST POP SINGLE
A category for the best pop single in year under review (by single individual or group).
- ‘Ye’ – Burna Boy
- ‘Wetin We Gain’ – Victor AD
- ‘Fake Love’ –Starboy ft Duncan Mighty, Wizkid
- ‘Case’ – Teni
- ‘Jealous’ –Fireboy DML
- ‘Baby’ – Joeboy
- PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
An individual responsible for producing the most acclaimed song or album in the year under review.
- Phantom – ‘Ye’ by Burna Boy
- Ozedikus – ‘Dumebi’ by Rema
- Spellz – ‘Askamaya’ by Teni
- Killertunes – ‘Fake Love’ by Starboy ft Duncan Mighty and Wizkid
- Kel-P Vibes – ‘Killing Dem’ by Burna Boy ft Zlatan
- BEST RAP ALBUM
A non-voting category for the best album by a rap artiste or group in year under review.
- ‘Moral Instruction’ – Falz
- ‘Crown’ – AQ and Loose Kaynon
- ‘A Study On Self Worth: YxngDxnzl’ – M.I Abaga
- ‘Clone Wars, Vol. IV (These Buhari Times)’ – Show Dem Camp
- BEST R&B/POP ALBUM
A category for the best r&b/pop album in the year under review (by single individual or group).
- ‘rare.’ – Odunsi(The Engine)
- ‘Outside’ – Burna Boy
- ‘No Bad Songz’ – Kizz Daniel
- ‘Mayor of Lagos’ – Mayorkun
- ‘About 30’ – Adekunle Gold
- BEST MUSIC VIDEO
A voting category for the best conceptualist, best directed and most exciting video in the year under review. This award goes to the video director.
- ‘Dangote’(BurnaBoy) – Clarence Peters
- ‘Available’(Patoranking) – Clarence Peters
- ‘Ire’(Adekunle Gold) – Aje Films
- ‘Talk’ (Falz) – Prodigeezy
- ‘Jaiye’(Ladipoe) – 88 Factor
- BEST R&B SINGLE
A category for the best r&b single in the year under review (by a single individual or group).
- ‘Tipsy’ – Odunsi ft. RAYE
- ‘Serenade’ – Funbi
- ‘UyoMeyo’ – Teni
- ‘Wishes and Butterflies’ – Wurld
- ‘Gimme Love’ – Seyi Shay ft. Runtown
- BEST COLLABO
A voting category for the best r&b, pop or hip-hop collaborative track (including cameos).
- ‘Like’ – Reekado Banks Ft. Tiwa Savage, Fiokee
- ‘One Ticket’ Kiss Daniel ft. Davido
- ‘Fake Love’ – Starboy ft Duncan Mighty, Wizkid
- ‘Killin’ Dem – Burna Boy Ft. Zlatan
- ‘Amaka’ – 2baba Ft. Peruzzi
- BEST RAP SINGLE
A voting category for a single (released on-air) recording of a rap song.
- ‘Talk’ – Falz
- ‘We Don’t Do That Over Here’ – Hotyce
- ‘40ft Container’ – Illbliss ft. Olamide
- ‘Sacrifice’ – Payper Corleone Ft. Alpha Ojini
- ‘Gang Gang’ – AQ and Loose Kaynon
- BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE(MALE)
A non-voting category for the single male artiste with the most outstanding vocal performance on a single song or album.
- Tay Iwar – ‘Utero’
- Johnny Drille – ‘Finding Efe’
- Nonso Bassey – ‘411’
- Funbi – ‘Serenade’
- Wurld – ‘Wishes & Butterfly’
- BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE (FEMALE)
A non-voting category for the single female artiste with most outstanding vocal performances on a single song or album.
- GoodGirl LA – ‘Bless me’
- Waje – ‘Udue’
- Teni – ‘UyoMeyo’
- Tems – ‘Mr Rebel’
- Falana – ‘Repeat’
- NEXT RATED
This category is a voting category for the most promising act in the year under review.
- Rema
- Joeboy
- Fireboy DML
- Victor AD
- Lyta
- Zlatan
- HIP HOP WORLD REVELATION
A voting category for the best new artiste with a debut album adjudged to be outstanding in terms of artistic quality and impact within the year under review.
- Odunsi
- Mayorkun
- Wurld
- Humblesmith
- LYRICIST ON THE ROLL
A non-voting category for the rap artiste with the best lyrical depth and performance on a single song or album.
- YCEE – ‘Balance’
- Boogey – ‘Implode’
- Paybac – ‘Implode’
- Ghost–‘Crown’
- Tec–‘Crown’
- AQ –‘Crown’
- BEST STREET-HOP ARTISTE
A voting category for the artiste whose songs are inspired by the streets. Such song should captain lingua, which may also be originated by the artiste and popular on the street.
- Erigga – ‘Motivation’
- ChinkoEkun – ‘Able God’
- Zlatan – ‘Leg Work’
- Barry Jhay –‘Aiye’
- Lyta–‘Time’
- BEST ‘ALTERNATIVE’ SONG
A voting category for the artiste whose songs reflect any form or style of music which falls outside the mainstream of recent or past popular musical trends.
- ‘Cash’ – Lady Donli
- ‘Mr Rebel’ – Tems
- ‘Finding Efe’– Johnny Drille
- ‘Heya’–Brymo
- ‘Ire’ – Adekunle Gold
- ALBUM OF THE YEAR
A voting category for the best album (solo or group) in year under review, that meets judges’ requirements of excellence (songwriting, production, rendition and impact).
- ‘About 30’ – Adekunle Gold
- ‘Outside’ – Burna Boy
- ‘Moral Instruction’–Falz
- ‘No Bad Songz’ – Kizz Daniel
- ARTISTE OF THE YEAR
Most critically and commercially adjudged artiste in the year under review. Overall most successful artiste in the year under review.
- Burna Boy
- Wizkid
- Davido
- Tiwa Savage
- Falz
- SONG OF THE YEAR
A voting category for the most popular song in the year under review.
- ‘Ye’ – Burna Boy
- ‘Dumebi’ – Rema
- ‘Wetin We Gain’ – Victor AD
- ‘Fake Love’ – Starboy ft Duncan Mighty, Wizkid
- ‘Case’ – Teni
- ‘Leg work’- Zlatan
- ‘Baby’ – Joeboy
- ‘Jealous’ – Fireboy DML
- AFRICAN ARTISTE RECOGNITION
A non-Nigerian award category for an individual African artiste or group with the most outstanding achievement, impact and infiltration into the Nigerian music scene in the year under review.
- Master KG – Skeleton Moves(SOUTH AFRICA)
- Afro B – Drogba (Joanna)(IVORY COAST)
- Sauti Sol – Melanin (KENYA)
- King Promise – CCTV (GHANA)
- DJ Maphoriza – iWalk Ye Phara (SOUTH AFRICA)
- HEADIES’ VIEWER’S CHOICE
A voting category to award the fan’s favorite artiste with the most digital tractions (downloads, views, streams) in the year under review.
- MrEazi
- Burna Boy
- Teni
- Fireboy DML
- Rema
- Joe Boy
- Wizkid
- Davido
- BEST PERFORMER
A non-voting category for the artistes whose stagecraft, showmanship and performance routines are exceptionally conceptualized and executed in the year under review with consideration of live performances.
- Falz
- Tiwa Savage
- Brymo
- Yemi Alade
- Adekunle Gold
- ROOKIE OF THE YEAR:
A voting category for the rookie of the year who has had a successful year musically, with the absence of an album in the year under review.
- Crayon
- Buju
- Barry Jhay
- Oxlade