Love and New Notes has received nine nominations for the 2026 Best of Nollywood Awards, placing the Timini Egbuson-produced film ahead of The Herd, which secured eight, following the release of this year’s nominees on Sunday, 1 November.
The nominations, announced ahead of the awards ceremony in Enugu State, recognise films and performers across acting, directing, screenwriting, production and other areas of Nigerian cinema. Four productions, The Creek, Aba Blues, Colours of Fire and Efunroye: The Unicorn, earned seven nominations each.
Love and New Notes is among the six contenders for Movie of the Year. Its director, Kayode Kasum, is nominated for Director of the Year, while Egbuson is in contention for Best Actor. The film also appears in the Best Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Cinematography and Best Soundtrack categories, alongside nominations recognising supporting performance and an on-screen kiss.
The Herd, directed by Daniel Etim Effiong, follows with eight nominations. It is competing for Movie of the Year, Director of the Year and Best Screenplay, among other awards. The film also appears in categories recognising supporting performances and social themes.
The six films nominated for Movie of the Year are Love and New Notes, The Herd, The Creek, Aba Blues, Efunroye: The Unicorn and 3 Cold Dishes. The same productions are represented in the directing contest, with Toka McBaror nominated for The Creek, Jack’enneth Opukeme for Aba Blues, Kasum for Love and New Notes, Bayo Tijani and Abbey Lanre for Efunroye: The Unicorn, Asurf Oluseyi for 3 Cold Dishes, and Effiong for The Herd.
The Best Actor shortlist brings together Bucci Franklin for The Creek, Kanayo O. Kanayo for Grandpa Must Obey, Jide Kene Achufusi for Aba Blues, Egbuson for Love and New Notes, Uzor Arukwe for Colours of Fire and Wale Ojo for 3 Cold Dishes.
Osas Ighodaro has received two Best Actress nominations, for Colours of Fire and 3 Cold Dishes. She is competing against Scarlet Gomez for Behind the Scenes, Mercy Aigbe for Everything Is New Again, Sharon Ooja for Ordinary People and Nse Ikpe-Etim for Devil Is a Liar. Her two appearances on the shortlist mean that six performances are nominated across five actresses.
The supporting actress nominations include Eniola Badmus for Love and New Notes, Destiny Etiko for Behind the Scenes, Damilola Oni for Aisiki, Nancy Isime for Everything Is New Again, Linda Ejiofor-Suleiman for The Herd and Bisola Aiyeola for Gingerrr. In the supporting actor category, nominees include Akeem Ogara, Mike Ezuruonye, Kelechi Udegbe, Jide Awobona, Prince Nelson Enwerem, Abba Ali Zaky and Ibrahim Suleiman.
Indigenous-language productions are also represented in the awards. Agesinkole (King of Thieves) 2 and Efunroye: The Unicorn are among the nominees for Best Indigenous Film, alongside King Lotanna, Ile, Isipo and Olorisa. Efunroye: The Unicorn is also nominated for Movie of the Year and in several craft categories, including costume-related work and sound.
Other Yoruba-linked productions feature across the nominations. Irin Ajo is represented in the child performance categories, while The Rhythm of Ancestors: Yoruba Bata is among the Best Documentary nominees. These categories place locally rooted stories and traditional performance subjects alongside the industry’s larger commercial productions.
3 Cold Dishes received six nominations, while Behind the Scenes and Agesinkole (King of Thieves) 2 received five each. The broader list also includes short films, series and documentaries, as well as awards for cinematography, sound, makeup, production design and visual effects.
Love and New Notes, directed by Kasum and starring Egbuson, Sophie Alakija, Odunlade Adekola and Eniola Badmus, was released earlier in 2026. Set against Nigeria’s 1984 currency change, it follows characters whose relationships and financial choices are tested during a period of economic upheaval. Its nine nominations now put it at the front of the field before the winners are announced.
The organisers have identified Enugu State as the host of this year’s ceremony. The nominations establish the contenders, but no winner has yet been declared in any of the categories.
Featured image: Timini Egbuson at a February 2026 event for Love and New Notes. Archival photograph via The Nigerian Voice. The image does not show the November nominations announcement.
