These viral fashion moments, emotional speeches, surprise upsets, and humorous exchanges kept viewers talking throughout the night.
The 12th edition of the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA 2026) concluded on Sunday night at the Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos, leaving behind memories and heartbreak.
On Friday, head judge Joke Silva prepared AMVCA’s audience and film lovers in general for the shocks that may come.
“Well, I think awards, a lot of times, again, I will always say it, are subjective. And that is why we have a panel of judges. We have two sets of judges, so, as much as possible, we aggregate marks, since every film is graded. Hopefully, the prayer is always: ” May the best man win,” she said.
Beyond the glamour, several aspects of the night either left viewers in stitches or sent them into deep thoughts
Below are some highlights of the AMVCA 2026.
When the organisers announced the night’s fashion theme, little did they know that an outfit would make other guests crave Ewa Agoyin, a popular bean dish.
Perhaps the most stunning outfit of the night was the ‘bread dress’ worn by BBNaija’s Queen Atang and designed by Toyin Lawani, the CEO of Tiannah’s Place
The outfit, an evening gown, features a high neckline, adorned with gold spangles and intricate embellishments throughout.
From the trunk down, the outfit is fitted with actual loaves of bread, inspired by Queen’s bakery business, Switcakes & Desserts.
In March, two of Nollywood’s biggest producers, Funke Akindele and Toyin Abraham, trended online after a snubbing incident.
A video of Funke ignoring Toyin at Iyabo Ojo’s film premiere went viral, sparking reactions.
In the video, Toyin was seen trying to greet Funke, but she didn’t respond; she kept her gaze elsewhere.
This prompted Toyin to post on her social media, “If I ever greet her again, call me Bastard”
That moment has now received renewed attention as hosts of AMVCA 20206, Bovi Ugboma and South African actress Nomzamo Mbatha reenacted the encounter.
In their version, Bovi is trying to present an award to Nomzamo, but she keeps snubbing him.
This led Bovi to utter the infamous statement, “If I ever present an award to you again, call me a bastard,” triggering laughter from the audience.
With an award of this magnitude, upsets can only be expected. But nothing prepared the audience and movie lovers in general for the fact that Nollywood’s highest-grossing Nigerian film of all time would not win a single award.
This was the case for Funke Akindele’s ‘Behind the Scenes’.
Upon its December 2025 release, the film shattered Nigerian box-office records, becoming the fastest film in West Africa to cross ₦1 billion and the highest-grossing Nigerian film of all time, with over ₦2 billion in gross.
The film was nominated in the Best Lead Actress (Scarlet Gomez), Best Supporting Actor (Uzor Arukwe), Best Supporting Actress (Funke Akindele), Best Makeup (Mojisola Imam) and Best Movie categories.
Sadly, it won none of them.
It may have taken some time, but the show’s co-host had the perfect comeback for actor Kunle Remi.
In March, the ‘Aníkúlápó’ star took a swipe at the AMVCA while celebrating Michael B. Jordan’s Oscars win.
“So they engrave your name after you win! Right there. Take it home! If it’s AMVCA, all of you will share one for the night, then come back and collect it at the next award,” he said.
Midway into the night, Bovi took a detour to address Kunle’s misgivings, which many believe is caused by his missing out on receiving an award in the previous edition.
“By the way, all winners have their individual awards today. Shout out to Kunle Remi. Winners have always had their individual awards. But I understand, Kunle has never won one, so he wouldn’t know,” Bovi said.
Still on the stunning outfits, Ghanaian actress Nana Akua Addo stole the show with her Gothic Architecture-inspired dress.
Titled ‘In My Mother’s House’, the outfit was designed by Abbaswoman and is inspired by the Gothic cathedrals of Cologne, Germany.
It features a complex, multi-tiered silhouette composed of numerous miniature, pointed cathedral spires and arched window motifs.
