[2] The accolade is presented at the Brit Awards, an annual celebration of British and international music.

[3] The winners and nominees are determined by the Brit Awards voting academy with over 1,000 members, which comprise record labels, publishers, managers, agents, media, and previous winners and nominees.

Originally presented as two gendered categories in 1977, the inaugural recipients were Graham Parker and Julie Covington.

Paul Young and Lisa Stansfield were the first male and female solo artists to receive the combined award, winning in 1984 and 1990 respectively.

[6] When the Brit Awards was held for the second time in 1982, these categories were combined and rules were changed so that groups were also eligible.