Voting for the 2026 WSA Public Choice Award and the WSA Game Music Award is now officially open. Starting in 2026, the longlists for these World Soundtrack Awards will be curated by four organisations from the screen music industry. This year: the International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA), the Composers Diversity Collective (CDC), the UK & European Guild of Music Supervisors (GMS) and the Alliance for Women Film Composers (AWFC).
Up until August 21st, screen music fans worldwide can cast their vote on their favourite film and game scores from the past year and decide who wins the WSA Public Choice and WSA Game Music Award. The nominees will be invited to the World Soundtrack Awards Ceremony & Concert on 10 October 2026, where the winners will be announced. In 2025 French composer Lorien Testard won the Game Music Award for his score for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and Laetitia Pansanel-Garric took home the Public Choice Award for the original music in the animated film Hola Frida.
For the first time the longlists for these awards have been curated by four different organisations, each active in a different domain of the screen music industry and each with a different focus in terms of expertise or target audience. Through this new initiative, the festival aims to present a competition that draws on a diverse range of professional perspectives and fosters new connections between key organisations that serve as the backbone of the screen music industry.
International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA)
The International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) is an association of online, print and radio journalists who specialise in writing and broadcasting about original film and television music. The core aims of the group are twofold: Firstly, to promote, celebrate and comment on the art of film music and the composers who create it. Secondly, to support its members in the achievement of the first aim, with the number of community-based resources and tools.
Composers Diversity Collective (CDC)
The Composers Diversity Collective (CDC) is an organization based in Los Angeles that officially launched in 2020 with a clear mission: to increase visibility and opportunity for composers from historically underrepresented backgrounds in the film, television, and video game industry. Through advocacy, education and community-building, they work to address and dismantle systemic underrepresentation.
UK & European Guild of Music Supervisors (GMS)
The UK & European Guild of Music Supervisors (GMS) is dedicated to raising awareness and understanding for the role of a music supervisor within the entertainment industries including film, television, gaming, advertising, trailers, interactive media & theatre.
Alliance for Women Film Composers (AWFC)
The Alliance for Women Film Composers (AWFC) is a community of composers and song writers dedicated to supporting and celebrating the work of women and gender diverse composers through advocacy and education. They aim to increase visibility, promote equality in the industry, and bring diverse voices to film, television, video games and multimedia projects.
Practical
Fans and professionals can cast there vote through the WSA website. The winners will be announced at the World Soundtrack Awards Ceremony & Concert on 10 October 2026. This is the closing event of the WSA Film Music Days (8 – 10 October 2026), which takes place during the 53d edition of Film Fest Gent (7 – 18 October).
