The 2026 BET Awards celebrated excellence across music, film, fashion and culture, with established stars and newer voices sharing the spotlight.
Held at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles and hosted by Druski, the ceremony recognised both commercial success and wider cultural impact across entertainment.
Below is a closer look at the major winners and what their awards represented.
Teyana Taylor – Four major wins across entertainment
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Teyana Taylor emerged as the biggest winner of the night after collecting four awards, showing the breadth of her work beyond music.
She won:
- Icon of the Year
- Best Actress
- Fashion Vanguard Award
- Video Director of the Year for Escape Room
Icon of the Year recognised her overall influence across entertainment and culture. Best Actress acknowledged her growing reputation in film and television through recent performances.
Fashion Vanguard Award celebrated her impact on style and visual identity, while Video Director of the Year recognised her creative work behind the camera in producing strong visual storytelling.
“I worked my ass off 20 years for this.”
Her speech reflected years of building a career across different parts of the entertainment industry.
Cardi B – Best Female Hip Hop Artist
Cardi B secured Best Female Hip Hop Artist, an award that recognises artistic performance, cultural impact, chart success and influence within hip hop over the past year.
The win marked her third time receiving the honour.
Cardi entered the ceremony with six nominations, the highest of any artist at this year’s awards, highlighting her continued influence in music and popular culture.
During her acceptance speech, she spoke openly about dealing with anxiety and fear while working on her
latest project, Am I the Drama?, before thanking her children and supporters.
“I was dealing with anxiety and fear while making this project.”
The moment became one of the night’s most talked-about speeches.
Kendrick Lamar – Best Male Hip Hop Artist
Kendrick Lamar won Best Male Hip Hop Artist, an award presented to a male rapper judged to have had one of the strongest years in terms of music releases, audience response and cultural relevance.
The award added to Kendrick’s long list of career achievements and reinforced his standing as one of hip hop’s leading voices.
His continued success has been built on both commercial performance and critical recognition.
Kehlani – Best Female R&B/Pop Artist
Kehlani received Best Female R&B/Pop Artist.
This category recognises female performers whose music has achieved a strong audience connection and influence within R&B and pop.
The award reflected Kehlani’s continued consistency and presence within contemporary music.
Leon Thomas – Best Male R&B/Pop Artist
Leon Thomas won Best Male R&B/Pop Artist.
The category honours male artists who have shown strong musical performance, audience engagement and growing influence in R&B and pop.
His win continued a strong period in his career and further established him among the leading voices in the genre.
Doechii and SZA – BET Her Award
Doechii and SZA shared the BET Her Award.
Unlike performance-based categories, this award focuses on music that empowers, inspires and highlights experiences affecting Black women and communities.
Their recognition reflected the social and cultural themes present in their work.
Lauryn Hill – Living Legend Icon Award
Lauryn Hill received the inaugural Living Legend Icon Award.
The honour recognised her long-term contribution to music and her influence across generations of artists.
Her work continues to shape both hip hop and R&B years after her breakthrough.
Sylvia Rhone – Ultimate Icon Award
Unlike artist categories, this honour recognised her work behind the scenes in developing careers, shaping music business decisions and contributing to the wider industry.
