Music+Sound Awards 2026

Key Dates

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Open for Entries: April 8th 2026

Early Bird Entry Deadline: June 3rd 2026

Final Entry Deadline: 23:59 (PDT), June 17th 2026

Finalists Announced: September 23rd 2026

Winners Announced: October 14th 2026

Eligibility Window

To be eligible for consideration for a Music+Sound Award your work must have been first broadcast or released with client approval, or completed in the case of short films, between July 1st 2025 and June 30th 2026.

N.B. This eligibility window does not apply to the Rising Star categories – please see specific category details for information.

Entry Fees

Early Bird Fees – Until June 3rd

ADVERTISING – £190

FILM, TV, VIDEO GAMES + TRAILERS – £155    

SHORT FILM – £65  

RISING STAR ENTRIES – £45

 

From June 4th 

ADVERTISING – £220

FILM, TV, VIDEO GAMES + TRAILERS – £180

SHORT FILM – £75   

RISING STAR ENTRIES – £50

All fees include a £5 donation to our charity partner, music therapists, Nordoff & Robbins, and are in addition to VAT, where applicable.      

Discount Eligibility: PRS for Music, ASCAP, MPA, Ubem, Buma and APRA AMCOS members receive a discount on all categories, other than Short Films and Rising Stars (already heavily discounted). Alliance for Women Film Composers, Free The Work and Composers Diversity Collective members receive a discount on all categories. See entry form for details.

Video Length Specifications by Category

Series, Programme, Film (Feature + Short) + Documentary Entries: For original composition and sound design entries, a single scene, or a collection of excerpts, of up to a maximum duration of 5 minutes to be submitted. For sync, re-record and production music entries, the relevant scene only please. One sync per entry.

Video Game Gameplay Entries: a single scene, or collection of excerpts, of game-play of up to a maximum duration of 10 minutes to be submitted.

Video Game Cinematic / Cutscene Entries: a single scene, or a selection of excerpts, of up to a maximum duration of 5 minutes to be submitted.

Advertising, Trailer + Titles Entries: complete project to be submitted.

Branding Entries: finished work examples, plus a video case study, if desired, of up to a maximum duration of 5 minutes, to be submitted.

Video Technical Specifications

File: .mp4 files only please

Resolution: 1920×1080, or at least 1280×540

Frame Rate: 24fps, 25fps or 30fps

Please remove, or obscure, all clocks, slates and entrant credits.

Where only a portion of a submitted video is relevant for jury consideration (for example, where an entrant’s synced composition is featured in addition to other music), time-codes must be specified in the Further Project Information field of the entry form.

AI USE POLICY

The Music+Sound Awards celebrate excellence in human creativity, composition and sound design. Submissions must be primarily created by human authors and may not consist of, or be predominantly derived from, AI-generated music or sound. The use of AI-based tools is permitted where they function as part of a broader human-led creative process (such as technical assistance, optimisation, or workflow support), but AI must not significantly determine the musical or sonic content of the final work. The Awards reserve the right to request disclosure of AI usage and to deem entries ineligible where AI has materially replaced human creative authorship. Eligibility should be judged on the basis that removing any AI tools used would not fundamentally alter the creative identity of the work.