Royal Albert Hall to Launch Future Makers 2026 This Spring

The Royal Albert Hall’s flagship musical talent competition Future Makers is returning for 2026 to help launch the careers of the next generation of British musicians, offering young artists the chance to play in front of 5,000 people on the Hall's famous stage, alongside development opportunities. The competition, which runs annually as part of the venue’s Engagement programme, will be held on Wednesday 4 November, with applications opening from the end of the month (Monday 30 March).

Once the submissions close on Friday 1 May, successful applicants will perform closed live auditions across two days in June at the Royal Albert Hall’s Elgar Room venue in front of a panel of judges, with all finalists being notified the following week. Each finalist will then be offered marketing and development days across August and September ahead of the event in November, including the chance to work with a music producer, receive professional photos and video content of their performance for promotional use.

For the final, eight acts, aged 14-19 who write their own material, from across the UK will perform on the Hall’s world-famous stage in front of a live school audience and a panel of industry experts. The panel will give constructive feedback and tips to all the finalists, and one act will be selected to receive a tailored package of support from the Royal Albert Hall and industry partners. The concert will also feature a performance from current Future Makers 2025 champions GeeOne x Zachariyah Sol.

GeeOne, one half of the rap duo, said: “The experience of performing at the Future Makers final isn't comparable to anything else; it was arguably one of the most exciting days I've had in my entire life. The vibes, the energy, the positivity - There is honestly nothing quite like it. Everything was straight gas!"

Matt Todd, Director of Programming at the Hall, said, “To see Future Makers grow into a national competition within the space of only four years has been nothing short of incredible. It has been inspiring to see such a consistently high standard of songwriting, stage presence and technical brilliance from previous finalists and winners. We’re confident that the 2026 cohort of applicants will be our best (and hardest to judge) yet! With thanks to our Engagement team, Future Makers doesn’t just end with a winner being announced. It really is a year-long programme which is designed to help nurture the next generation of UK talent to help them navigate the music industry in the early stages of their careers. We really can’t wait to see what applications will come through this year’s process.”

The competition, which has been running since 2022, also provides the winners with career support and a route into the music industry. This includes performance opportunities including a headlining a performance in the Elgar Room, an external festival slot, a 12-month marketing support package from the Hall to help raise their profile, as well as access to a professional recording studio and professional music producer.

Previous Future Makers winners include 2023 champion Amity, who performed a headline performance in the Elgar Room in July 2025, while 2024 champion Gracee recorded at Abbey Road studios before releasing her debut EP in the autumn. A documentary following Gracee’s journey through Future Makers, filmed by the Royal Albert Hall’s Content Producer Preston Hartley, has been released today on YouTube.

Young artists who want to take part in this year’s Future Makers should submit a video recording of under six minutes via the portal at www.royalalberthall.com. Specially written resource pack for teachers and young people, containing lesson plans, song-writing advice and top tips from the stars will also be available to download from the Royal Albert Hall website.