West End Wilma Awards announce the shortlist for 2026

Nominees have been announced for the 10th annual West End Wilma Awards, with Beetlejuice, Dracula, and Paddington shortlisted for Best West End Show.

The 10th annual awards, in association with Free@Last TV and The Format Factory, received more than 10,000 public nominations submitted across 12 categories, with the top three in each now going back out to public vote.

Winners will be announced at a VIP-only ceremony hosted by actor and cabaret performer Tim McArthur at Freedom in Soho – the venue where the first Wilma Awards took place.

Votes can be cast at www.westendwilma.com.

West End Wilma Awards 2026 – Full list of shortlisted nominees

Rising Star

Imogen Bailey
Robyn Gilbertson
Mary-Comfort Olabisi

Best Swing – Sponsored by R B Emerson

Rebecca D’Lacey (Ride The Cyclone)
Imogen Bailey (High Society)
Lauren Hampton (Legally Blonde)

Best Ensemble Performer

Connor Wilkins (I’m Every Woman)
Aimee Fisher (Paddington)
Emily Squibb (Mamma Mia)

Best Understudy – Sponsored by Healthy Tailz: Physio for Dogs
Rebecca D’Lacey (Ride The Cyclone)
Imogen Bailey (High Society)
Ryan Pidgen (The Producers)

Best West End Show
Beetlejuice
Dracula
Paddington
Best Off-West End Show
Redcliffe (Southwark Playhouse)
Ride The Cyclone (Southwark Playhouse)
Dark of The Moon (Charing Cross Theatre)

Best Touring Show
Legally Blonde
Waitress
Operation Mincemeat

Robin Windsor Award for Best Performer in a West End Show
Victoria Hamilton-Barritt (Paddington)
Leesa Tulley (SIX)
Cameron Vear (Titanique)

Best Performer in an Off-West End Show

Glenn Adamson (Dark of The Moon)
Justin Cartledge (Lighthouse)
Robyn Gilbertson (Ride The Cyclone)

Best Cabaret / Solo Show

Eurovision Your Decision (Royal Vauxhall Tavern)
Lucie Jones (London Palladium)
Glenn Adamson (Straight Out Of Hell)

Best Edinburgh Fringe Festival Show – Sponsored by Mischief

Bliss (Pleasance Courtyard)
Slay (Gilded Balloon)
Lighthouse (Greenside)

About the West End Wilma Awards

The West End Wilma Awards were first held at Freedom Bar in Soho, before moving to the Hippodrome Casino for 2015 and 2016, and then the Prince of Wales Theatre (Delfont Room) in 2017.

For 2018 the ceremony, the awards moved to the Arts Theatre in Covent Garden, which more than doubled the venue’s capacity. The 2019 awards were held at Café de Paris, and from 2022 the ceremony found a home at Leicester Square Theatre, where it was held for three years.

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