Love and New Notes Leads 2026 BON Awards Race with Nine Nominations
Love and New Notes has emerged as the biggest contender at the 2026 Best of Nollywood (BON) Awards with nine nominations, ahead of The Herd, which secured eight, following the release of the nominees’ list on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
The nominations, announced ahead of the 18th edition of the awards scheduled to hold in Enugu State this November, feature productions competing across acting, directing, cinematography, screenwriting, sound, editing and other areas of filmmaking.
The leading film, produced by Timini Egbuson, received nominations in nine categories, including Movie of the Year, Director of the Year, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Kiss, Best Soundtrack, Best Screenplay, Best Editing and Best Cinematography.
The Herd followed with eight nominations, securing places in Movie of the Year, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Social Message, Best Use of Makeup and Best Cinematography.
Four productions — The Creek, Aba Blues, Colours of Fire and Efunroye: The Unicorn, each received seven nominations, while 3 Cold Dishes secured six.
Behind the Scenes and Agesinkole (King of Thieves) 2 received five nominations apiece, placing them among the productions with multiple entries across this year’s categories.
The Best Actor category features six nominees representing The Creek, Grandpa Must Obey, Aba Blues, Love and New Notes, Colours of Fire and 3 Cold Dishes.
The Best Actress category also attracted attention, with Osas Ighodaro receiving two nominations for her performances in Colours of Fire and 3 Cold Dishes.
Other productions represented in the category include Behind the Scenes, Everything Is New Again, Ordinary People and Devil Is a Liar.
The supporting acting categories feature six nominees for Best Supporting Actress and seven for Best Supporting Actor, reflecting the range of performances recognised in this year’s selection.
Beyond acting, the awards will recognise achievements in directing, screenplay, cinematography, production design, costume, sound, soundtrack, editing, makeup and special effects.
The Director of the Year and Movie of the Year categories each feature six competing productions, including The Creek, Aba Blues, Love and New Notes, Efunroye: The Unicorn, 3 Cold Dishes and The Herd.
The Best Screenplay category also features six films, with The Herd, The Creek, 3 Cold Dishes, The Covenant, Love and New Notes and Si Olorun (A Letter to God) in contention.
The nominations further extend to indigenous films, short films, documentaries, television series, child performers, promising actors and actresses, and productions recognised for their social messages.
In the documentary category, Marked and The Rhythm of Ancestors: Yoruba Bata received nominations, while Scratch, The Covenant and Ordinary People will compete for Best Series.
The organisers had earlier announced Enugu State as the host of the 18th edition but have yet to publicly disclose the exact ceremony date and venue.
In a statement ahead of the event, the organisers described the expected gathering as an opportunity to bring together leading figures in the Nigerian film industry and showcase the host state’s tourism attractions.
They said: “As November approaches, the anticipation is palpable. Nollywood’s biggest stakeholders, actors, and producers are preparing to descend on Enugu.”
The statement also described the event’s expected economic prospects, saying: “November in Enugu is shaping up to be an economic masterclass.”
The organisers said the programme would place six tourism locations in the state under development in the international spotlight through global television coverage.
The attractions listed include Awhum Waterfall and Monastery, the Nsude Pyramids, the Lejja Ancient Iron-Smelting Site, Ngwo Pine Forest, Landmark Nike Lake Resort and the Centre for Memories, also known as Ncheta Ndigbo.
The awards organisers had also announced four Special Recognition Award recipients ahead of the nominations, with the honours intended to recognise contributions to the development of the Nigerian film industry.
The BON Awards, now in their 18th edition, recognise achievements across acting, directing, screenwriting and technical filmmaking, including productions in English and indigenous languages.
With Love and New Notes leading the nominations and The Herd following closely, attention now shifts to the November ceremony in Enugu, where winners across the competitive categories will be announced.
