Youth Music Awards Bring National Celebration to Liverpool 2026

Key Points

• The Youth Music Awards will be held in Liverpool on Wednesday 28 October 2026, the first time the ceremony leaves London.
• Wingstop has become the headline sponsor through a new three-year partnership with Youth Music.
• The move reflects Youth Music’s funding pattern: 86% of its support goes to organisations outside London.
• The event will create 21 paid opportunities for young people across Liverpool and the North West to work behind the scenes.
• BRIT Award winner Myles Smith joins a judging panel of more than 60 artists and industry experts from music, media and technology.
• Youth Music alumni ALT BLK ERA, Emily Makis and lockdownT also join the panel, alongside representatives from Apple, Meta, Sony Music, Spotify, Universal Music Group and YouTube.
• Myles Smith said access to music should not depend on where you are from, who you know or what you can afford, and welcomed the move to Liverpool as a reminder that talent exists everywhere.
• The Awards celebrate young people, projects and organisations making music more inclusive across the UK.

Liverpool (Liverpool standard) July 07, 2026 – The Youth Music Awards are leaving London for the first time and heading to Liverpool on Wednesday 28 October 2026, according to an official announcement from Youth Music.

The ceremony, long known as the biggest night in grassroots music, will now take place in one of the UK’s most iconic music cities, with Youth Music stating it is “the perfect place to celebrate the incredible work happening [in] grassroots music across the UK”.

This is not a one-off experiment: the move accompanies a new three-year partnership with Wingstop, which becomes the headline sponsor of the Awards. Dirujan Sabesan, Chief Brand Officer at Wingstop, said, “We’ve always known that the most exciting talent doesn’t start on a big stage, it starts in bedrooms, community centres and local venues up and down the UK, and Youth Music gets that better than anyone”.

Why is Youth Music moving the Awards from London to Liverpool?

For the past six years, the Youth Music Awards have been held in London, but Youth Music says the timing is right to take its flagship event somewhere new. The organisation highlights that 86% of its funding supports organisations outside the capital, making the London location feel increasingly mismatched with where its work is concentrated.

Liverpool is described as “one of the UK’s most important music cities”, offering a more fitting backdrop for an event focused on grassroots talent drawn from across the country rather than centred on London. The change also reflects a broader intention to bring recognition and celebration closer to the communities Youth Music serves.

By relocating to Liverpool, Youth Music aims to reinforce the message that the most exciting talent does not depend on a big stage, but emerges in local spaces nationwide.

What opportunities will young people in Liverpool and the North West gain?

The move to Liverpool will create 21 paid opportunities for young people across Liverpool and the North West to gain hands-on experience working behind the scenes at a major music industry event.

These roles are expected to cover areas such as production, logistics, audience engagement and technical support, giving participants practical industry skills while contributing to the delivery of the Awards. Youth Music has not released a full breakdown of the roles, but the emphasis is on accessible, paid work that can help young people build confidence and experience in the music sector.

The announcement underlines Youth Music’s long-standing commitment to inclusive access, noting that the Awards celebrate

“young people, projects and organisations making music more inclusive across the UK”.

Who is judging this year and what do they say about the move?

Every year, the Youth Music Awards invite some of the biggest names in music to listen to and judge the UK’s most inspiring young creatives, entrepreneurs, leaders and grassroots projects. This year, the judging panel includes more than 60 artists and industry experts from across music, media and technology.

BRIT Award winner Myles Smith has joined the panel, along with Youth Music alumni ALT BLK ERA, Emily Makis and lockdownT. Representatives from Apple, Meta, Sony Music, Spotify, Universal Music Group and YouTube are also involved, alongside many other industry figures.

Speaking about joining the judging panel, Myles Smith said: “As someone whose journey started in grassroots music, I know how important it is to have people who believe in you and opportunities that help you take the next step”. He added: “Access to music shouldn’t depend on where you’re from, who you know or what you can afford. I’m excited to see the Awards head to Liverpool this year – a reminder that talent exists everywhere. I can’t wait to see this year’s nominations”.

What does Wingstop’s headline sponsorship mean for the Awards?

Wingstop becomes the headline sponsor of the Youth Music Awards as part of a new three-year partnership with Youth Music. The sponsorship is framed not just as financial backing, but as a commitment to “continue helping and celebrating the young people, projects and communities shaping the future of grassroots music”.

Dirujan Sabesan, Chief Brand Officer at Wingstop, emphasised the alignment between Wingstop’s values and Youth Music’s mission, pointing to the importance of supporting talent that starts in local venues, community centres and bedrooms rather than on large, commercial stages.

The partnership is expected to provide stability for the Awards over the next three years, allowing Youth Music to plan future editions with greater certainty while maintaining its focus on inclusivity and grassroots access.

How will the Liverpool edition celebrate inclusive grassroots music?

The 2026 Youth Music Awards in Liverpool are designed to celebrate the young people, projects and organisations making music more inclusive across the UK. The event will recognise achievements in areas such as community music programmes, youth-led initiatives, innovative projects and leadership that helps broaden access to music.

By moving to Liverpool, Youth Music aims to put the spotlight on a city with a rich musical heritage while also highlighting the diverse grassroots work happening nationwide. The ceremony is intended to be a “biggest night in grassroots music”, reinforcing the idea that significant cultural impact often begins outside mainstream industry circuits.

The Awards will also serve as a platform for alumni and participants to share their experiences, further underlining the role of community-based music in building confidence, skills and collaboration.

Background: The development behind the move to Liverpool

The decision to move the Youth Music Awards to Liverpool is rooted in Youth Music’s long-term funding strategy and its focus on supporting music organisations outside London. For six years, the Awards were held in London, a location that increasingly felt disconnected from the reality that 86% of Youth Music’s funding goes to projects and organisations in other regions.

The relocation aligns with Youth Music’s mission to make music more inclusive by recognising and celebrating work that happens in local venues, community centres and schools across the UK. The partnership with Wingstop, secured as a three-year headline sponsorship, provides additional stability and resources to support this geographic shift and the wider inclusive agenda.

The creation of 21 paid opportunities for young people in Liverpool and the North West is a direct extension of Youth Music’s approach to combining celebration with practical support, ensuring that the event not only honours past achievements but also invests in future talent.

Prediction: How this development can affect young people and the music sector

The move to Liverpool is likely to have a significant impact on young people in the North West and beyond, particularly those interested in working in the music industry. The 21 paid behind-the-scenes roles offer tangible entry points for young people who might otherwise struggle to access industry experience, helping them build skills and confidence in a real event environment.

For the wider music sector, the relocation signals a continued shift towards recognising grassroots and community-based work as central, rather than peripheral, to the UK’s musical ecosystem. By hosting the Awards in a city with a strong musical identity and by bringing in judges from major companies such as Apple, Meta, Sony Music, Spotify and YouTube, the event is likely to strengthen connections between grassroots initiatives and larger industry players.

In the longer term, the Liverpool edition could set a precedent for future editions to be held in different regions, further decentralising recognition and opportunity and making it clearer that talent and innovation are not confined to London. This could encourage more young people outside the capital to pursue music-related careers and community projects, knowing that their work can be seen, celebrated and supported at a national level.