Zach Bryan, SZA & More 2023 Billboard Music Awards Finalists Competing With Themselves: Full List

It’s not easy to become a finalist for the Billboard Music Awards. There are only three to five finalists in each category, and there are dozens, and in some cases hundreds, of artists, singles and albums vying for those slots. So when an artist has two of the top five contenders in a category, they’re already a winner.

Twelve artists found themselves in that fortunate position when the finalists for the 2023 BBMAs were announced Thursday (Oct. 26). At most awards shows, when an artist has two entries nominated in one category, there’s a danger of “splitting their votes” in the final round of voting. But the BBMAs aren’t based on multiple rounds of voting; they are strictly data-driven.

Unique among music awards shows, winners are determined by performance metrics on the year-end Billboard charts. The eligibility dates for this year’s awards are aligned with Billboard’s year-end charts tracking period, which measures music consumption from the charts dated Nov. 19, 2022, through Oct. 21, 2023. (That corresponds to the tracking period of Nov. 4, 2022, through Oct. 12, 2023.)

If you missed Thursday’s announcement, Taylor Swift is the top finalist for the 2023 BBMAs, with 20 entries. Morgan Wallen and SZA are runners-up, with 17 entries each; followed by The Weeknd (16); Drake and Zach Bryan (14); Luke Combs (10); 21 Savage, Metro Boomin and Miley Cyrus (nine each); and Beyoncé and Rema (seven each).

Performances and awards will roll out across the BBMAs and Billboard social channels, as well as via BBMAs.watch on Sunday, Nov. 19.

Here are all the artists who have multiple entries in one category at the 2023 BBMAs.