Mark your calendars: we have set the date for the What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026. And this year, we will not only crown a fresh set of winners, but we’ll also be celebrating our 50th birthday!
Yes, on 12th November, the crème de la crème of hi-fi and home cinema will don their gladrags and descend on London to celebrate the top products in their categories at an exclusive black-tie event.
But ahead of the big hi-fi and home cinema gala, there are a few dates you should mark in your calendar.
As of now, companies can submit products for consideration on our Awards site. Submissions close on 12th August, at which point our team will get all the products into our viewing and listening rooms and begin testing in earnest.
These, along with any product that is still on sale that we have reviewed and awarded five stars, will then be considered for a Best Buy trophy in their relevant category.
After the AV battle royal plays out and we have decided which products are truly the best of the best in each category, we will then reveal the What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026 Best Buy winners on 13th October.
These brilliant products then form the shortlists for the Product of the Year categories, which will be revealed at the black-tie event on 12th November in London. While the event itself is closed to the public, you can follow along on our social media feeds, where we’ll be posting updates and all this year’s winners.
If you want to get even more involved in the action, we will also be running our special Readers’ Award. This lets you vote on a shortlist of products, created by our reviewers. Voting goes live on 14th September and closes a couple of weeks later on 28th September – so make sure to mark the date if you want to get involved.
On top of all that, as What Hi-Fi? is turning 50 this year, we’ll also have a special category that we have never run before. We’ll reveal details of that closer to the ceremony – so watch this space!
MORE:
Check out the full list of What Hi-Fi? Awards 2025 winners
Make sure to take a look at our What Hi-Fi? Hall of Fame
Rega's Roy Gandy wins What Hi-Fi?'s Outstanding Contribution Award for 2025
