The Brit Awards 2026 will happen at Manchester’s Co-Op Stay on 28 February, and Mancunian designer Matthew Williamson has revealed his design for the trophy.
Born and raised in Manchester, the style designer developed a trophy idea that pays tribute to the town, which is able to host the Brit Awards for the primary time, in a change from its common residence on the O2 area in London. Impressed by his roots, his design is characterised by an amber-toned resin that nods to the honey of a employee bee, the town’s mascot, whereas the figurine stands atop a sphere representing ‘the worldwide attain of British music’.
Williamson follows celebrated creatives who’ve formed the awards’ trophies through the years, together with Yinka Ilori, Es Devlin, Zaha Hadid and Tracey Emin.
As the brand new trophy is unveiled, we communicate to Williamson forward of the Brit Awards 2026, to seek out out about his design and his connection to the town of Manchester.
Brit Awards 2026: trophy by Matthew Williamson
(Picture credit score: Courtesy Brit Awards)
Wallpaper*: What have the Brit Awards meant to you through the years?
Matthew Williamson: I’ve such fond recollections of watching The Brits as a baby. I bear in mind being excited within the run-up to it, and watching it at residence in Manchester with my household was a TV spotlight of the 12 months. I at all times discovered it so thrilling to see the red-carpet arrivals and the presenters and performances. I’ve watched yearly since then and nonetheless like to see the spectacle of all of it.
W*: What moments of the awards’ historical past have been memorable to you?
MW: Like most, I bear in mind the presenters’ blunders, and naturally Madonna’s cape malfunction, however maybe my favorite performances have been by Adele. She sang ‘Somebody like You’ in 2011, and in 2016, ‘When We Had been Younger’. I liked the magical set and her gown in that efficiency. It looks as if an evening to let go and categorical your self. I bear in mind one time a few years in the past dressing Cat Deeley in a pink lace gown, and on stage she was shot out of a cannon. I assume something goes at The Brits and I really like that sense of freedom and self-expression it represents and encourages.
Matthew Williamson in his studio
(Picture credit score: Deia Studio)
W*: What are the principle components of your trophy design?
MW: The trophy this 12 months sees the enduring Britannia determine forged in an amber-toned resin to characterize golden honey. It got here from my thought to replicate the town of Manchester and I used the employee bee emblem as my place to begin. I used to be eager to maintain the shape recognisable however change the plinth to a sphere to characterize the globe. I imagined profitable the trophy and feeling on high of the world; [also] the music the winners create is globally accessible within the blink of an eye fixed.
W*: Inform us in regards to the supplies and manufacturing.
MW: The trophy was created in honey-pigmented resin. It was moulded utilizing a sample produced from a 3D render of the unique visible. As soon as faraway from the mould, it was cured in an oven, then polished and given a high-gloss lacquer end.
My type, my id, work ethic and normal outlook on life have all come from my youth in Manchester.
Matthew Williamson
(Picture credit score: Courtesy Brit Awards)
W*: How vital is the trophy’s connection to Manchester?
MW: Manchester is my beginning place. I grew up there, was educated there and now go to as typically as I can. I really like the town and have seen it go from energy to energy through the years, largely because of the folks. My dad and mom and sister nonetheless stay there. I used to be eager to make the award have a real Manchester connection and the employee bee and its honey sprang virtually instantly to thoughts as soon as I acquired the decision. I wished the Mancunians to really feel proud and not directly this trophy is a tribute to them and their metropolis.
W*: The ceremony is in Manchester this 12 months – why is that this vital for you?
MW: After I was rising up in Manchester, the music scene was such an vital a part of defining who I used to be as an individual. I listened to the Stone Roses, New Order, The Joyful Mondays, The Smiths and extra. Such nice musicians hail from Manchester, so this location for The Brits feels very becoming. Manchester has contributed a lot to the music all of us take heed to. My type, my id, work ethic and normal outlook on life have all come from my youth in Manchester.
W*: What makes the town particular for you?
MW: It’s actually developed for the higher over the previous few years. Earlier this 12 months, I took my companion, sister, daughter and my Mum to see Billie Eilish on the Co-op Stay, by the way the place The Brits is being held subsequent 12 months. We had the perfect evening! I feel the folks make the town. It’s maybe a cliché, however it’s additionally true that the folks there are so heat, pleasant, type and humorous. A Mancunian can have your again – [they are] all the way down to earth, resilient and simply good folks to be round. I am actually pleased with the trophy I’ve designed and I can’t wait to be again in Manchester to disclose it because it couldn’t be extra becoming. It’s an important milestone second for me as an individual and for my profession.
Supply: Wallpaper
