Europe’s net big sound: the Music Moves Europe Awards 2026 proudly announce this year’s winners, celebrating the most exciting and forward-thinking emerging artists from across Europe! And who is among the winners? None other than Austria’s own Sofie Royer! Representing bold creativity, musical innovation and cultural diversity, the MME Awards winners reflect the vibrant future of Europe’s music scene and its growing global impact.
And the winners are…
The winners of the Music Moves Europe Awards (MME Awards) were officially unveiled during a festive awards ceremony at Eurosonic Noorderslag (ESNS) in Groningen, the Netherlands, on Thursday, the 15th of January, 2026. The evening marked a defining moment for Europe’s next generation of musical talent; Camille Yembe (Belgium), Carpetman (Ukraine), Della (Cyprus), Sarah Julia (Netherlands) and Sofie Royer (Austria) are the winners of an MME Award. The prestigious Grand Jury Prize was awarded to Lia Kali (Spain). And Lia Kali also received the MME Public Choice Award, as chosen by music fans across Europe and beyond.
“Europe’s music scene continues to thrive through its diversity, creativity and bold artistic voices. The Music Moves Europe Awards celebrate the artists who are shaping the future sound of our continent and taking it beyond Europe’s borders. I warmly congratulate all the winners on this outstanding achievement. I am sure that their sounds will reverberate throughout Europe.” – Glenn Micallef – European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport
Sofie Royer
Sofie Royer is an Austrian-Iranian multi-instrumentalist and producer with Californian roots. She was classically trained in composition and concert violin at the Conservatory of Vienna, and her album, Young-Girl Forever, released in 2024, has been lauded by international media. She was invited to perform on BBC 6 Music, Radio France, ZDF, and a KEXP session. Royer also both scored and acted in Audrey Diwan’s adaptation of French cult film, Emmanuelle, and has collaborated with the likes of Toro Y Moi, Lewis OfMan, and Kavinsky.
European Union Prize
Co-funded by the European Commission’s flagship Creative Europe programme, the MME Awards are the European Union’s prestigious prize celebrating the continent’s most exciting emerging artists, the ones shaping the sound of Europe today and tomorrow. Designed to support international careers, the MME Awards have spotlighted some of Europe’s most influential breakthrough acts over the past 22 years, including Judeline, Zaho de Sagazan, Stromae, Alyona Alyona, ROSALÍA, Meduza, Dua Lipa, Night Tapes, Fontaines D.C. and Christine and the Queens. Each winner reflects the diversity, creativity and bold innovation driving Europe’s thriving music scene.
PrizeS
The winners were selected by an international jury consisting of Jess Iszatt (presenter, BBC Radio 1 and BBC Introducing), Filip Košťálek (music programmer at Colours of Ostrava), Kenza Naaïmi El Fezzazi (French Moroccan music journalist for Red Bulletin and FIP), Annika Walsh (Head of International Music Strategy at Spotify) and Judeline (MME Public Choice Award 2025 winner).
In total, seven awards were presented: five MME Awards, one Grand Jury Prize and one Public Choice Award. Each MME Award winner receives €10,000. The Grand Jury Prize winner also receives an additional €5,000 green touring voucher. The MME Public Choice Award winner receives €5,000.
Taking the stage at ESNS
All 15 nominated artists performed at ESNS, Europe’s leading music showcase festival and conference, in Groningen, the Netherlands. They also took part in the MME Education Programme, which provides insights and best practices from across the music industry. The programme is organised by ESNS and Reeperbahn Festival in collaboration with the MME Awards partners: Liveurope, Yourope, Live DMA, IMPALA, Digital Music Europe, ICMP-CIEM, International Music Managers Forum (IMMF) and European Music Exporters Exchange (EMEE).
Austrian Music Export wholeheartedly congratulates Sofie Royer and all of the emerging talents from around the continent! What a way to start the year!