The WallMag Musician of the Year Awards 2026 are decided. Across five weeks, 423 entries came in from musicians across India — vocalists, instrumentalists, rappers, producers and bands, in every genre and language. The community shortlisted the Top 100. A jury of working musicians scored them. These are the results.
Entries opened 3 September 2026
Entries closed 8 October 2026
Winners announced 15 October 2026
How the winners were decided
Every entry received went into public voting, and the 100 highest-ranked entries became the finalists. Those 100 were then scored by the Music jury — practising musicians, not WallMag staff. The jury's score carries 80 per cent of the final standing; the community's vote carries 20.
That weighting is the whole design. Voting alone rewards whoever can mobilise the largest audience. A closed jury alone is opaque. Together they produce a result a musician can cite and a stranger can audit. It is also why the entry that collected the most public votes in this award finished fourth.
The winners
Winner — Musician of the Year 2026: Varsha Nataraj sriguru
“Deewaana Deewaana”
A cover of AR Rahman's composition, sung and performed across multiple instruments - including beats tapped out on a laptop.
Instagram: @varshanatarajpianist
First Runner-Up: Archana Kamath
“Ae Savere”
An original composition, written and sung by Archana Kamath with the legendary Shankar Mahadevan.
Instagram: @swar_chana
Second Runner-Up: Subhadrakalyan
“Tabla-Tarang: The Singing Drum”
The rare art of Tabla-Tarang, where tablas tuned to different notes are arranged in sequence - turning a rhythm instrument into a melodic one.
Instagram: @subhadrakalyan.r
The award in numbers
- 423 entries received
- 290 creators ranked
- 100 finalists
- 17,264 community votes cast
- 88 scores from a jury of 8 musicians
What the Top 3 receive
- A cover story, featured interview or spotlight Q&A in WallMag Creator Magazine
- A Recognition Certificate as Musician of the Year 2026
- INR 5,000 in partner brand discounts and coupons
- Brand collaboration opportunities with music-industry partners — instruments, audio gear, labels and streaming platforms
- A hero showcase across WallMag's social handles
The Top 100, and everyone else
All 100 finalists receive a Top 100 Finalist certificate and a mention in WallMag Creator Magazine's Top 100 Musicians feature. Every other entrant receives a ranked participation certificate showing their tier. Certificates are generated on demand from the My Submissions tab on the award page.
