Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter were among the biggest winners at the 2026 BMI Pop Awards. The event took place on May 12 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. It celebrated the songwriters and songs that dominated pop music over the past year.
Swift added another huge achievement to her career. She won BMI Pop Songwriter of the Year for the third year in a row. It also marked the sixth time she has received the honour.
BMI recognised Swift for writing six of the most-played songs in the United States over the last year. The list included But Daddy I Love Him, Florida!!!, Guilty as Sin?, My Boy Only Breaks His Favourite Toys, So Long, London and The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived.
With the latest win, Swift now has 53 BMI Pop Awards in total.
Speaking of Carpenter, she also had a major moment at the ceremony. She shared the Songwriter of the Year title for the first time after a massive year in pop music. Her Short n’ Sweet era helped push her career to a new level. BMI honoured several of her songs, including Bed Chem, Busy Woman, Good Graces, Juno, Manchild and Taste.
In her acceptance message, Carpenter reflected on how important songwriting remains in her life. “I feel so privileged because storytelling is one of my favourite things and has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember,” she said.
She added, “Songwriting is sort of like being in a relationship that continues to charm you and surprise you and humble you.”
The night also saw Kendrick Lamar and SZA win BMI Pop Song of the Year for Luther. Meanwhile, Sony Music Publishing was named Publisher of the Year. Several rising artists and songwriters were also recognised during the ceremony, including Addison Rae, Ravyn Lenae and Gigi Perez.
