The Nashville-based Unsigned Only Music Awards has announced the winners of the 2026 competition, recognising an extraordinary group of independent artists from around the world whose music stood out among thousands of entries.

This year’s top honour, Artist of the Year, has been awarded to Brazilian-born guitarist, singer and songwriter Artur Menezes for his song Once Again.

Unsigned Only also named winners across its diverse range of 24 different categories, celebrating outstanding talent in genres including Rock, Pop/Top 40, Country, Americana, R&B/Soul, Rap/Hip-Hop, Latin, EDM, Jazz, Blues, Folk/Singer-Songwriter, Global Music and more.

No Aotearoa artists featured among the winners’ line up, but congratulations nonetheless to London-based Kiwi indie rock act Mild Orange who represented among finalists for the Folk Singer-Songwriter category acts, with Silver Star – found on their 2025 album ‘The Glow’.

While US acts dominated the winners’ list included artists from Canada, Australia, Italy, Germany, India, Chile and Madagascar. Artist of The Year recipient Artur Menezes is known for his explosive guitar playing, soulful vocals, and distinctive blending of blues and rock. Guitar Player magazine has described him as among front-runners of the new breed of blues guitar heroes.  

“Artur Menezes is the kind of artist Unsigned Only was created to recognise,” said Candace Avery and Jim Morgan, founders of Unsigned Only. “His extraordinary musicianship, distinctive voice, and authenticity come through in every note, and his ability to make the guitar speak with such power and emotion is truly remarkable. You can hear the years of dedication in his playing, but you can also hear the joy, passion, and personality behind it.””

Unlike traditional awards programs, Unsigned Only is specifically dedicated to independent and unsigned artists. Each winner receives a custom award designed by Society Awards, the company behind high-profile entertainment awards including the Emmy and Golden Globe awards. The Artist of the Year also gets a US$20,000 cash prize.

Winners were selected by a panel of accomplished recording artists, music managers, booking agents, journalists, and other music-industry professionals with extensive experience in their respective fields.