Movies & TV
Who Made the Cut, Who Surprised Us? See the Full List of 2026 AMVCA Nominations
The 2026 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards nominations offer a snapshot of Nollywood today, with names like Lateef Adedimeji and Bimbo Akintola leading a competitive field. This 12th edition features 32 categories as unveiled by the head of the jury, Joke Silva, during the live broadcast.
AMVCA 2026 Nominees: Lateef Adedimeji, Bimbo Akintola, and Daniel Etim Effiong Lead the Field
Who made the cut, who surprised us, and who got people talking? The 2026 AMVCA nominations have arrived with plenty to unpack. The Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards has released the full list of nominees for its 2026 edition and if you thought you were done debating who deserves what, think again.
This year’s ceremony, scheduled to take place in May 2026 in Lagos, features 32 award categories in total — 18 decided by a jury and 11 open to public voting, which means your vote actually counts for a significant chunk of the night. Two special honours are also on the table: the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Trailblazer Award. And for the first time, two new categories have been added — Best Indigenous Language (North Africa) and Best Indigenous Language (Central Africa) — expanding the recognition of African storytelling beyond the usual borders and making this one of the most inclusive editions of the AMVCAs yet.
The nominations are a strong reflection of the high-octane year Nollywood has had. Lateef Adedimeji appears in both the Best Supporting Actor and Best Lead Actor categories for “Gingerr” and “Red Circle,” while powerhouses like Bimbo Akintola, Sola Sobowale, and Linda Ejiofor compete for Best Lead Actress. With a Best Director field including Akinola Davies Jr, Tunde Kelani, and Daniel Etim Effiong, this is officially the most competitive race in years.”
See the full list of nominees below:
Best Supporting Actor
- Simileoluwa Hassan — The Yard
- Lateef Adedimeji — Gingerr
- Gabriel Afolayan — Colours of Fire
- Bucci Franklin — To Kill a Monkey
- Femi Adebayo — King of Thieves 2
- Lateef Adedimeji — Red Circle
- Femi Branch — Owambe Thieves
- Uzor Arukwe — Behind the Scenes
Best Lead Actor
- Mike Ezuruonye — Oversabi Aunty
- Lateef Adedimeji — Lisabi 2
- William Benson — To Kill a Monkey
- Kanayo O. Kanayo — Grandpa Must Obey
- Khumbuza Meyiwa — Bet I Love You
- Uzor Arukwe — Colours of Fire
- Wale Ojo — 3 Cold Dishes
- Femi Branch — Red Circle
Best Lead Actress
- Linda Ejiofor — The Serpent’s Gift
- Bimbo Akintola — To Kill a Monkey
- Ifeoma Fafunwa — The Lost Days
- Ariyike Owolagba — Something About the Briggs
- Sola Sobowale — Her Excellency
- Scarlet Gomez — Behind the Scenes
- Genoveva Umeh — The Herd
- Gloria Anozie-Young — Mother of the Brides
Best Supporting Actress
Linda Ejiofor — The Herd
Olamide Kidbaby — Oversabi Aunty
Bisola Aiyeola — Gingerrr
Sola Sobowale — The Covenant
Nadia Dutch — Aljana
Amal Umar — The Herd
Juliebrenda Nyambura — MTV Shuga Mashariki
Funke Akindele — Behind The Scenes
Best Director
- Akinola Davies Jr — My Father’s Shadow
- Tunde Kelani — Cordelia
- James Omokwe — Osamede
- Daniel Etim Effiong — The Herd
- Yemi Filmboy Morafa — Gingerr
- Asurf Amuwa Oluseyi — 3 Cold Dishes
Best Digital Content Creator
- Elozonam Ogbolu
- Genoveva Umeh
- Destiny Ogie Osarewinda
- Emmanuel Kanaga
- Sophia Chisom
- Benedict Ehimare Oriaifo
- Taaooma
- Steve Chuks
- Akwaman
Best Art Direction
- Zainab Oladipupo — The Serpent’s Gift
- Omolade Abisola — The Herd
- Ajamolaya Bunmi — Colours of Fire
- Olatunji Afolayan, Gideon O. Stephen — Aljana
- Victor Akpan — Suky
- Thabiso Senne — Inimba
Best Cinematography
- Jermaine Edwards — My Father’s Shadow
- Kabelo Thathe — To Kill A Monkey
- Emmanuel Igbekele — The Herd
- Daanong Gyang — Finding Nina
- Emmanuel Igbekele — The Serpent’s Gift
- KC Obiajulu — Stitches
- Emmanuel Igbekele — Gingerrr
Best Costume Design
- Mary Chukwuma — The Serpent’s Gift
- Deola Art Alade, Darey Art Alade — The Real Housewives Of Lagos
- Valerie Okeke — Colours Of Fire
- Yolanda Okereke — Something About The Briggs
- Ikechukwu Urum, John Joseph Angel — To Kill A Monkey
Best Makeup
- Mojisola Imam — Behind The Scenes
- Adeola Bamgboye — Lisabi: A Legend Is Born
- Dablaq Artistry — Gingerrr
- Adeola Bamgboye — Abanisete
- Hakeem Effect — Warlord
- Ruth Harcourt — Suky
- Adeola Bamgboye — Labake Olododo
Best Sound/Sound Design
- Pius Fatoke, CJ Mirra — My Father’s Shadow
- Tolu Obanro — Gingerrr
- Vaughan Phillips — Ben Made It
- Tolu Obanro — The Party
- Vaughan Phillips — Sebata: The Beast
- Fisayo Adefolaju — The Herd
Best Score/Music
- Duval Timothy, CJ Mirra — My Father’s Shadow
- Nissi Ogulu — 3 Cold Dishes
- Chubb Okobah — Osamede
- Tolu Obanro — Gingerrr
- Tolu Obanro — The Party
- Sofresh — MTV Shuga Mashariki
- Oscar Heman-Ackah — To Kill A Monkey
Best Editing
- Kazeem Agboola — Cordelia
- Omar Guzman Castro — My Father’s Shadow
- Wanguma Peter Chidebere, Dele Doherty — Landline
- Asurf Amuwa Oluseyi — 3 Cold Dishes
- Winston Aig-Ohioma — Osamede
- Daniel Anyiam — To Kill A Monkey
Best Writing (Movie)
- Lani Aisida — The Herd
- Wale Davies — My Father’s Shadow
- Ikenna Okpara — Blackout
- Shirleen Wangari — Cards On The Table
- Xavier Ighorodje — Gingerrr
- Isaac Ayodeji — Suky
- Tomi Adesina — 3 Cold Dishes
Best Writing TV Series
- Besufekade Mulu — Addis Fikir
- Temilola Balogun — Baba Oh
- Stephen Okonkwo — The Party
- Yednekachew Ayne — Gizat
Best Documentary
- Beyond Olympic Glory
- The Good, The Bad of Afrobeat
- The People Shall
- Not Addressing This Anymore
- BOU
Best Series Unscripted
- The Real Housewives Of Lagos S3
- Nigerian Idol S10
- Ultimate Girls Trip: Africa
- Offair With Gbemi And Toolz
- Out N About (Harar)
Best Series Scripted
- To Kill A Monkey
- The Yard
- The Chocolate Empire
- Inimba
- Kash Money
Best Movie
- Gingerrr
- The Herd
- My Father’s Shadow
- 3 Cold Dishes
- The Serpent’s Gift
- Behind The Scenes
