With quite literally hundreds of thousands of votes cast (yes, really – pop democracy is important), the 2025 results offer a pretty clear snapshot of what connected most deeply with Actual Real Life Dork Readers (you lovely lot).
At the top of the Artist of the Year poll is James Marriott, followed closely by Djo and Olivia Dean. It’s a Top 10 that stretches comfortably from left-of-centre pop to full-force alternative, with Hayley Williams, Wolf Alice and Turnstile all featuring. A little chaotic, a lot correct.
A similar breadth defines the Album of the Year vote. Readers placed 'Don’t Tell The Dog' by James Marriott at Number 1, ahead of 'The Crux' by Djo and 'Breach' by Twenty One Pilots. Elsewhere in the Top 10, releases from Addison Rae, CMAT and Wolf Alice prove it was, actually, a rather good year for the full-length format.
If any category captures the personality of 2025, though, it’s Track of the Year. Taking the top spot is CMAT’s 'Take A Sexy Picture of Me', ahead of Djo’s 'Basic Being Basic' and 'Sally, When The Wine Runs Out' by Role Model. From PinkPantheress to Pulp, it's like a playlist made by someone with seven tabs open, having the time of their life.
The Breakthrough Act result points firmly forward. Addison Rae takes the win, with Alessi Rose, Antony Szmierek, Panic Shack and Welly completing a Top 5 that reflects both viral momentum and proper grassroots buzz. That forward-looking instinct is echoed in the Hype Award, led by recent Dork cover stars Florence Road, ahead of Chloe Qisha and Westside Cowboy – names that are starting to feel less like “ones to watch” and more like “ones who’ve already started happening, whether you’re ready or not".
Live music, meanwhile, remains non-negotiable. Fontaines D.C. are voted Best Live Act, ahead of James Marriott and CMAT, reaffirming the band’s reputation as one of the most compelling stage forces of the moment. There’s space for those returning to action, too: Oasis take Best Comeback, with Lily Allen and Pulp also placing – proof that legacy, when it lands properly, still carries real weight. And yes: Oasis have now won the category two years running.
Finally, eyes are already on what’s coming up from the big boys and girls of Planet Pop. Readers named The 1975 as the most anticipated album of 2026, ahead of releases from Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, Charli xcx and Olivia Rodrigo. The numbers band and their eternal hype circus never stops – and, just to make it official, they’ve also won their category two years on the bounce. Consistency! Commitment! Groupchat discourse!
So, here are your results. If you disagree, argue with yourselves. We just do the counting.
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
2 - Djo
3 - Olivia Dean
4 - Hayley Williams
5 - Twenty One Pilots
6 - Sam Fender
7 - CMAT
8 - Wolf Alice
9 - Geese
10 - Turnstile
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
2 - Djo - The Crux
3 - Twenty One Pilots - Breach
4 - Hayley Williams - Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party
5 - Inhaler - Open Wide
6 - Addison Rae - Addison
7 - Wolf Alice - The Clearing
8 - CMAT - Euro Country
9 - Geese - Getting Killed
10 - Turnstile - Never Enough
TRACK OF THE YEAR
2 - Djo - Basic Being Basic
3 - Role Model - Sally, When The Wine Runs Out
4 - Louis Tomlinson - Lemonade
5 - PinkPantheress - Illegal
6 - 5 Seconds of Summer - NOT OK
7 - Lorde - What Was That
8 - Wolf Alice - The Sofa
9 - Pulp - Spike Island
10 - Confidence Man & JADE - Gossip
BREAKTHROUGH ACT
2 - Alessi Rose
3 - Antony Szmierek
4 - Panic Shack
5 - Welly
HYPE AWARD
2 - Chloe Qisha
3 - Keo
4 - Cliffords
5 - Westside Cowboy
BEST LIVE ACT
2 - James Marriott
3 - CMAT
4 - Turnstile
5 - Kneecap
BEST COMEBACK
2 - Lily Allen
3 - Pulp
4 - 5 Seconds of Summer
5 - Lewis Capaldi
MOST ANTICIPATED ALBUM FOR 2026
2 - Louis Tomlinson
3 - Harry Styles
4 - Charli XCX
5 - Olivia Rodrigo
Find more Best of 2025 shenanigans in the December 2025 / January 2026 issue of Dork, out now.
