The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has shared its field of nominees for 2026, and the shortlist is headlined by Sade, Phil Collins, Oasis, The Black Crowes, Joy Division and New Order, Mariah Carey, Iron Maiden, and Billy Idol, all of whom have appeared on previous ballots. This year’s crop of first-time nominees includes INXS, Jeff Buckley, Lauryn Hill, Luther Vandross, Wu-Tang Clan, Melissa Etheridge, New Edition, Shakira, and, of course, P!NK. The official inductees will be announced in April, and the ceremony will take place later in the fall. The criteria for entry into the Rock Hall remains the same, in that you are eligible once your first commercial recording turns 25 years old. In 2025, the organization inducted Cyndi Lauper, OutKast, the White Stripes, Salt-N-Pepa, and Warren Zevon into its ranks.
Sitting at 17 nominees, 2026 marks one of the Rock Hall’s biggest fields of would-be candidates yet. This is round three for Carey, Iron Maiden, Joy Division and New Order, and Oasis, while the Black Crowes, Idol, and Sade are on the ballot for the third time. P!NK is the only artist to make the ballot on their first year of eligibility. The 10 first-time nominees debuted in either the 1980s, 1990s, or 2000s. Collins is already in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, having been enshrined as a member of Genesis in 2010. Two nominees only have one studio album in their catalogue: Jeff Buckley, who released Grace in 1994, and Lauryn Hill, who released The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill in 1998. Joy Division and New Order continue to be grouped together, despite existing as two very separate bands.
While the Rock Hall continues to incorporate rap, pop, Latin, electronic, dance, and metal music into its selections, just one country musician has been inducted in the last 23 years, Dolly Parton, and 2026 will not feature any artists from the genre. 1,200 voters will fill out their ballots between now and April. Along with the Hall’s normal inductees, they will also hand out committee prizes for Musical Influence, Musical Excellence, and the Ahmet Ertegun Non Performeer Award.
