Brit Awards to change Artist of the Year prize amid gender-neutral category backlash

The Brit Awards has announced it will alter one of its top categories to appease criticism over gender diversity. The award show made the decision to remove gendered categories but faced backlash when the Artist of the Year prize was dominated by male nominees.

According to reports, the Brit Awards will expand the number of nominees for the prize from five to 10 at its 2024 ceremony. It comes after Harry Styles, who won the award last year, used his speech to spotlight overlooked female artists.

A source told The Sun: 'The BRITs' decision to ­create genderless categories was huge and they've now tweaked it again to try to make it more inclusive.

'The move to go genderless was meant to be progressive, and by making this change they are hoping that it reflects this.'

However, it's not the only change Brit Awards will make to its upcoming show, set to take place in March 2024. A new award for best R&B act will also be created with a nod to artists such as Jorja Smith, Cleo Sol, and NAO.

The news comes after Brit-Award nominee, Mahalia, took to social media to criticise the former fan-voted Best Pop/R&B Act category. She said: “Putting pop and R&B in the same category is really nuts to me and proves that the powers-that-be once again just do not get it."

The British singer has already praised the institution's decision, citing her initial reaction as 'pure happiness and pride', BBC reports.