Nominees Local, Dafydd Owain and Adjua among eight artists set to light up the Welsh Music Prize ceremony stage
Live lineup for Wales Millennium Centre show revealed alongside award winners
Some of Wales’ most exciting new and established artists have been announced in the live lineup for this year’s Welsh Music Prize ( 7 October 2026) at the Wales Millennium Centre as part of Llais and Cardiff Music City Festival.
Debut nominees the soul singer songwriter Adjua and Cardiff rapper Local join folk-rockcomposer Dafydd Owain and acoustic phenomenon Gwenifer Raymond among the shortlisted artists performing at the ceremony- and music fans can be there, with tickets available here for just £10 with the whole thing broadcast live on BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio Wales.
The four artists are part of a 15 strong shortlist of albums from the past year made in Wales or by Welsh people around the world- one of whom will take home the coveted Welsh Music Prize, along with a £10,000 prize.
Hosted by BBC Radio 1 presenter Sian Eleri, the ceremony will also see the Triskel Award presented to emerging artists Mwsog, Casual Smart, and Betsan.
Self-proclaimed ‘folk-rock sorcerers’ Mwsog are a seven-strong spiritual collective who have recently arrived on the scene with a cosmic bang. Casual Smart, Cardiff’s lo-fi bedroom rockers are the latest heartthrobs of the capital’s burgeoning indie playground. Betsan, a bilingual jazz-pop sensation originally from Cardiff, has spent the year so far carving out her place in the UK’s pop scene.
Jazz-fuelled R&B duo Papaya Noon have been chosen to receive this year’s PPL Momentum Sbardun | Accelerator Fund award. The duo have already amassed an impressive fan-base online, garnering over 80,000 followers across their socials, and receiving praise from such luminaries in the US as Missy Elliot, Snoop Dogg and Queen Latifah. The fund is run by the PRS Foundation in partnership with PPL and Creative Wales and offers grants for recording, touring and marketing to artists breaking through to the next level of their careers.
PPL’s Chief Membership & People Officer, Kate Reilly said: “We are delighted to once again support the Welsh Music Prize, which continues to go from strength to strength. This year’s shortlist showcases the incredible breadth of talent across Wales and recognises the creativity and originality that make its music scene so vibrant. We look forward to celebrating all the nominees next month.”
Speaking about the strength of this year’s live bill, Welsh Music Prize co-founder Huw Stephens said: The Welsh Music Prize stands as a testament to the nation’s artistry, an event to celebrate the rich diversity and exceptional quality of music from Wales. This years lineup is very exciting, delivering a genre-spanning showcase that highlights the rising stars winning the Triskel awards and the artists up for the album prize. Come on down or tune in to hear it all!
Speaking on behalf of Cardiff Music City Festival, Cardiff Council Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Tourism, Cllr Jennifer Burke, said: “The Welsh Music Prize showcases the very best of Wales’s music scene – it’s a great opportunity for artists to broaden their audience and for fans to find new music to fall in love with. That’s why we support it, and why we’re so pleased it’s part of Cardiff Music City Festival.”
John Hendrickse, Grants & Programmes Manager at PRS Foundation said: “We’re delighted to be part of the Welsh Music Prize again and championing our PPL Momentum SbardunAccelerator initiative at this year’s awards ceremony. Time and again Wales produces incredible music creators and PRS Foundation is proud to have a strong track record investing in many of these artists before they go on to future success. This year alone, 9 of the 15 nominated albums for the Welsh Music Prize have come from artists that have had PRS Foundation support at vital moments in their career, including 4 that received our PPL Momentum Sbardun Accelerator. We wish all the nominees luck on the night and very much look forward to seeing whose album receives the award.”
Welsh Music Prize Performance Line-up
Adjua
Local
Dafydd Owain
Gwenifer Raymond
Mwsog
Casual Smart
Betsan
Papaya Noon
Tickets are available here at £10 adult/£8 under 30s.
Welsh Music Prize 2026 Shortlist:
• ADJUA -Everything Is Beautiful LISTEN
• Aleighcia Scott – Taith LISTEN
• Ani Glass – Phantasmagoria LISTEN
• Art School Girlfriend – Lean In LISTEN
• Cerys Hafana – Angel LISTEN
• CHROMA – 25 Forever LISTEN
• Dafydd Owain – Ymarfer Byw LISTEN
• Dewin – Dan y Dderwen LISTEN
• Gruff Rhys – Dim Probs LISTEN
• Gwenifer Raymond – Last Night I Heard the Dog Star Bark LISTEN
• Local – Too Broke to Be This Busy LISTEN
• Mari Mathias – Cyfarwydd LISTEN
• Skindred – You Got This LISTEN
• The Bug Club – Every Single Muscle LISTEN
• The Royston Club – Songs For The Spine LISTEN
