Justin Bieber and Tate McRae lead the nominations for the 2026 Juno Awards with six each, the most either artist has earned in a single year. The Weeknd and newcomer Cameron Whitcomb follow with five apiece. Winners will be revealed March 28–29 in Hamilton, with Mae Martin hosting the televised broadcast.
A career-high tie at the top
The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) unveiled the nominees for the 55th Juno Awards on Tuesday, and the top of the list is a tie between two of the biggest pop stars Canada has produced. Bieber, of Stratford, Ont., and McRae, of Calgary, earned six nominations each — a career high for both.
The two will compete head to head in several marquee categories. Both are nominated for artist of the year and album of the year, Bieber for Swag II and McRae for So Close to What. They also face off for single of the year, where Bieber’s lo-fi “Daisies” is up against McRae’s Y2K throwback “Sports Car,” and both appear on the songwriter of the year and fan choice lists.
In all, this year’s field includes 248 nominations across 47 categories, and 65 artists are first-time nominees.
Whitcomb’s breakout and The Weeknd’s record chase
Toronto’s The Weeknd collected five nominations, including album of the year for Hurry Up Tomorrow and single of the year for “Cry For Me.” He entered the year within striking distance of Anne Murray’s all-time record of 26 Juno wins, meaning a clean sweep of his categories would put him on top of the record book.
Matching him at five is the year’s breakout story. Cameron Whitcomb, a first-time nominee, landed in breakthrough artist of the year, single of the year for “Options,” and both album of the year and country album of the year for his debut, The Hard Way — a rare crossover between the pop and country fields.
Daniel Caesar earned four nominations, and bbno$, Jessie Reyez and The Beaches picked up three each. The Beaches will look to reclaim group of the year against Arcade Fire, Mother Mother, Peach Pit and Three Days Grace.
A new category and a Hamilton stage
The 2026 edition adds a new category, Latin music recording of the year, whose inaugural nominees are Alex Cuba, Lido Pimienta, Andy Rubal, Isabella Lovestory and Mario Puglia.
Most awards will be handed out at the Juno Awards Gala on Saturday, March 28. The televised broadcast follows on Sunday, March 29, from Hamilton’s TD Coliseum, hosted by comedian Mae Martin — themselves a Juno nominee in 2023 for the comedy special SAP — and airing on CBC and CBC Gem. Daniel Caesar will also receive the International Achievement Award, Nelly Furtado will be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, and Joni Mitchell will be honoured with a lifetime achievement award.
When the trophies were handed out in March, McRae turned her six nominations into a field-leading four wins, including artist of the year, album of the year and single of the year. The Beaches won group of the year for the third consecutive year — a first for an all-women band — Whitcomb was named breakthrough artist, and bbno$ took the fan choice award.
