The BRIT Awards announce big changes for 40th anniversary in 2020

5 November 2019, 19:03 | Updated: 5 November 2019, 19:06

The awards have been streamlined to nine categories, while the BRITs Critics' Choice Award has been renamed the Rising Star Award.

The BRIT Awards have announced huge changes in time for its 40th show.

The prestigious awards ceremony, which will take place on Tuesday 18 February 2020 at London's O2 Arena, will see things go back to basics, while artists are given more control.

The BRITs 2020 will hand over creative direction to artists for their performances, featuring less awards and more music.

Winners on the night will receive the classic Lady Britannia BRIT statuette, which has returned after nearly a decade of the statuette being reimagined by a guest designer.

See the classic statuette below:

The number of awards presented on the night will be streamlined to just nine, and all the award categories will be decided by the 2020 Official Voting Academy.

See the 2020 awards category list:

(All British unless noted otherwise)

Male Solo Artist

Female Solo Artist

Best Group

Best New Artist (previously British Breakthrough Act)

Rising Star (previously the Critics’ Choice Award)

Song Of The Year (previously British Single)

Mastercard Album Of The Year

International Male Solo ArtistInternational Female Solo Artist

Lastly, the BRITs Critics' Choice Award will be renamed the Rising Star Award.

The prestigious honour, which has been awarded to the likes of Adele (2008), James Bay (2015), Jorjia Smith (2018) and Sam Fender (2019), is open to British artists who have not yet achieved either a recording in the Official Charts UK Top 20 Artist Album Chart, or two recordings in the Top 20 Singles Chart.

The recipient of the award will now get a performance slot on the main awards show.

Speaking about the 2020 changes Chairman of The BRITs Committee for 2020 and Chairman and CEO of Universal Music UK David Joseph said:“We have had a fresh look at the BRIT Awards this year. Most importantly we will be putting creativity, British culture and exceptional performances at the heart of the show to make BRITs night a world class celebration. The awards should be a global platform for the artists of the year to create moments that live beyond the night itself. We are looking at everything to put on the best possible show.”

Chief Executive, BPI and BRIT Awards Ltd Geoff Taylor said:“It’s always exciting to launch the next BRITs campaign, but it’s extra special to be announcing the 40th edition of the awards show. The BRITs Committee will endeavour to make the 2020 BRITs a truly landmark event, highlighting not only another remarkable 12 months in the British music year to a growing global audience, but also paying tribute to many unforgettable BRITs moments that are now part of a rich and much loved heritage.”

More exciting developments will be announced in the coming months in the run up to the UK’s premiere music event – which will, as always, be a huge celebration of the incredible achievements of British artists and the success stories of the last 12 months.