The first ever Folk Album of the Year Award has unveiled its inaugural shortlist, and it’s a proper celebration of everything that makes the British and Irish folk scene so brilliantly alive right now.
Nine albums made the cut from 146 submissions, with the jury so impressed by the quality they actually expanded beyond their original eight picks. That says something.
The nominees span generations in the most wonderful way. Peggy Seeger, at 90 years old, earns a nod for Teleology, potentially her final solo record after seven decades of shaping folk music on both sides of the Atlantic. Meanwhile, 25 year old Highland clàrsach player Grace Stewart-Skinner makes the list with her debut Auchies Spikkin’ Auchie, an intimate portrait of her fishing village woven through traditional conversations and new compositions.
Dublin trio Poor Creature bring spectral textures and subtle electronics on All Smiles Tonight, released through Rough Trade’s River Lea imprint. East Belfast’s Joshua Burnside pushes boundaries on Teeth of Time, fusing electronica with found-sound collage to explore family and trauma.
Welsh musician Cynefin (Owen Shiers) resurrects farming traditions of Ceredigion on Shimli, while Barry Kerr grounds his seventh album Curlew’s Cry in Irish folklore and natural world. Instrumental duo Spafford Campbell offer fresh generational perspective on English folk through Tomorrow Held, and six piece ensemble Gigspanner Big Band deliver technical brilliance on Turnstone.
Zimbabwean born vocalist Edith WeUtonga rounds out the shortlist with Varipasi, adding vital international perspective.
The winner will be announced at Rochdale Town Hall on 17 March 2026.
