Krakow FMF 2026 – Young Talent Award – WINNERS

OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

(LINK / WEB)

👉 Can you imagine Vabank with any music other than Henryk Kuźniak’s iconic, mischievous theme? Participants in the FMF Young Talent Award 2026 set out to answer exactly that question!

 

🏆 The competition jury recognised three young composers, with the first prize awarded to Natalia Hatz. The Greek composer studied at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and Berklee College of Music (Valencia), and her works have been recorded at renowned studios including London’s legendary AIR Studios.

 

🏆 Second place went to Colombian composer Daniel Santos — a scholarship recipient at EMMAT music school and winner of the Audiovisual Production Marathon at the Bogotá Short Film Festival (BOGOSHORTS) in 2022.

 

🏆 The third and final distinction was awarded to Polish composer and arranger Paweł Litwińczyk.

 

🎯 Find out more about the competition at https://fmf.fm/aktualnosci/przedstawiamy-laureatow-konkursu-fmf-yta-2026

 

🤝 Co-organiser of the competition: Bettermaker

🤝 Competition partner: Wytwórnia Filmów Dokumentalnych i Fabularnych

🤝 Special Prize funded by: APL – Applied Psychoacoustics Laboratory, Orchestral Tools Composers Ver menos

 

———-

 

Introducing the winners of the FMF YTA 2026 competition

 

Can one imagine any music other than Henryk Kuźniak’s feisty theme for *Vabank*? This was the question the participants in the FMF Young Talent Award 2026 competition sought to answer, as they were tasked with composing a new soundtrack for an excerpt from Juliusz Machulski’s film. We now know who rose to the challenge best – the winning track will be performed on 13 May during the FMF Awards Gala.

 

This year, the awards ceremony will be a separate event of the Krakow Film Music Festival, and its main highlight will be the music of the masters: Jerzy ‘Dudus’ Matuszkiewicz, Henryk Kuźniak and Henry Mancini. The sound of a large jazz ensemble with an extensive brass section (conducted by Jan Stokłosa) also influenced the nature of this year’s competition task.

 

“The artistry and imagination with which the Young Talent Award participants approached the assigned instruments made a huge impression on me. They all managed to use them in a truly cinematic and nuanced way – so that they supported the narrative and highlighted all the plot twists and moments of surprise that this story holds,” says Miriam Cutler, chair of the competition jury. “Listening to the final compositions was a great pleasure; each one could be an excellent highlight of a concert programme. I can’t wait to hear the winning piece performed live!” she adds.

 

The award jury recognised three young composers, with Natalia Hatz taking first place. The Greek composer studied music at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and at Berklee College of Music (Valencia), and her works have been recorded at venues including the legendary AIR Studios in London. Second place went to Colombian Daniel Santos – a scholarship holder at the EMMAT music school and winner of the Audiovisual Production Marathon at the Bogotá Short Film Festival (BOGOSHORTS) in 2022. Third and final place went to Polish composer and arranger Paweł Litwińczyk.

 

The FMF Young Talent Award is a competition aimed at composers under the age of 35, held as part of the Krakow Film Music Festival. Its aim is to showcase the achievements of young artists to a wide audience and industry representatives.

 

“This year’s competition brief was designed to encourage young artists to aim high and have the courage to push their vision of a film score. I am doubly pleased that first place went to a brilliant composer and, for the first time in the history of this award, it is a woman. We will be following the career development of all the finalists of the FMF Young Talent Award with great interest,” says Agata Grabowiecka, the festival’s artistic director.