World Soundtrack Awards Named Discovery Nominees
Five emerging film composers have been selected for the prestigious Discovery of the Year award.
Updated on Sept. 30, 2026 in Classical
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The World Soundtrack Awards has officially announced the five contenders vying for its Discovery of the Year prize, which highlights breakthrough talent in film music. The nominations recognize composers who have made significant recent contributions to the cinematic landscape.
Why it matters
This award provides a global platform for emerging artists to gain industry recognition and career-defining visibility within the film score community. It highlights the growing importance of innovative sound design and new compositional approaches in modern cinema.
The field of five nominees includes composers who have previously worked on projects such as the 2022 film Kiss My Wounds and the 2019 documentary Game of Thrones: The Last Watch. Kangding Ray notably completed roughly 80% of his nominated score before filming even began.
The players
Hannah Peel
She is a composer known for using hand-punched paper-strip music boxes and is currently scoring the Netflix Assassin's Creed series.
Kangding Ray
He is a musician and composer who frequently utilizes electronic textures and is based in Berlin.
Mari Fukuhara
She is a composer who has transitioned into film scoring and is planning a return to live performance.
Sam Slater
He is an award-nominated composer and sound designer who previously worked with the late Jóhann Jóhannsson.
Paris Hurley
She is a composer and filmmaker recognized for her work on the film The Chronology of Water.
The details
The nominees include Mari Fukuhara for 'Little Amélie or the Character of Rain', Paris Hurley for 'The Chronology of Water', and Hannah Peel for 'Midwinter Break'. Other finalists include Kangding Ray for 'Sirāt' and Sam Slater for '2000 Meters to Andriivka', the latter of whom previously served as a sound designer for Jóhann Jóhannsson.
Timeline
Hannah Peel received an Emmy nomination for a project in 2019.
Mari Fukuhara was approached for film licensing in 2020.
Kangding Ray scored the film Kiss My Wounds in 2022.
The nominations were officially announced on September 30, 2026.
Industry Dynamics
The shift toward unique acoustic-electronic textures reflects a broader trend in modern film music away from traditional orchestral arrangements. This movement marks a departure from standard scoring models, following the pattern established by the World Soundtrack Awards to celebrate avant-garde composition.
Music fans can explore the diverse sounds of these nominees by accessing the film scores on various streaming platforms. Many of these composers are currently involved in major upcoming series, such as the Netflix Assassin's Creed project, which will broaden the audience's access to their work.
The takeaway
These nominations showcase how modern composers are increasingly integrating unconventional tools and pre-production writing to build their scores. Aspiring musicians can look to these artists as examples of how to merge technological experimentation with traditional film narrative.
Further reading
For more on the latest developments in international orchestral and film music, visit our Classical section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Variety.
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