West Australian Music (WAM) announced the winners of the 2026 WAM Song of the Year competition two weeks ago, with winners across 17 categories beating out over 800 submissions for their respective awards.
Taking out the overall Grand Prize in 2026 was Coco Elise with their song Colour The Stencil, while local First Nations artist Phil Walleystack took home the Grand Prize Runner-Up with Lore of the Land, and 15-year-old Alyssa won the Second Runner-Up Award for Walk With The Elders, each of these winners also taking out their genre category’s award.
“These awards have shown the depth and breadth of songwriting talent in our state,” says West Australian Music CEO Owen Whittle. “This year we see several first-time winners from emerging artists, including Misticia, Georga Raath, and 15-year-old Alyssa, who share the stage with stalwarts of the local music scene such as Phil Walleystack and Codee-Lee.”
Alumni from Western Australia’s leading arts institution, the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) naturally featured as winners, with Phil Walleystack leading the charge – Walleystack studied the Aboriginal Theatre course at WAAPA, where he received training in traditional Aboriginal dance and music, alongside contemporary genres like jazz, ballet and tap performance.
Also coming away with a win was WAAPA PhD graduate and researcher W. Sze Tsang, stage name samarobryn. Their song fragments II won the award in the Experimental category, following a win in the same category in 2025 with the song Echoes in Flight. Tsang’s PhD thesis in Music Composition was completed in 2023 and awarded the WAAPA School Research Medal, the ideas of which were incorporated into this latest track, constructed from 12 composed fragments and field recordings from nature. Their contribution to the local music scene is immense, regularly performing locally, creating soundscapes for the State Library, and working on various Blue Room Theatre shows as a sound designer.
Singer-songwriter Persia Najafzadeh (PERSIA), winner of the Song of the Year Award in the Hip-Hop/RnB category with the song Sanctuary Stay also hails from WAAPA, graduating in 2023 from the Contemporary Music program and receiving a recital prize. The win follows a 2025 nomination for the WAM Awards R&B/Funk/Soul Act of the Year and a Triple J debut for her song No Hero. Najafzadeh credits WAAPA with allowing her to explore different genres and consolidate her connection to R&B and Soul, where she clearly thrives. PERSIA has taken to the stage this year at RTRFM’s In The Pines, the WAM Song of the Year Awards Night, and last year’s Perth International Jazz Festival.
WAM announced the winners of the 2026 Song of the Year at The Rechabite on Wednesday, May 27, 2026. The annual songwriting competition promotes emerging and established artists, along with championing WA talent.
Check out the full list of winners below:
GRAND PRIZE
WINNER Colour The Stencil – Coco Elise
RUNNER-UP Lore of the Land – Phil Walleystack
SECOND RUNNER-UP Walk With The Elders – Alyssa
Feel It, Write It
Presented by Healthway
WINNER Bird in a Cage – Codee-Lee
OTHER NOMINEES
Girl in the Mirror – Amberley Maryellen
Reality Check – Leah McFetridge
Somedays – Danella
Traffic Lights – Tanya Ransom
A SONG FOR SOPHIE
Presented by The Sophie Smith Fund held with the Fremantle Foundation
WINNER Little Affliction – Riyana Samrai
OTHER NOMINEES
Call Me – Misticia
dust mites – Georgia Raath
Pearl – Anika Lousie
Radio National – Streetlights
BLUES/ROOTS
WINNER Call Me – Misticia
OTHER NOMINEES
mister – Navy June
Redemption Arc – Siobhan Cotchin
The River – South 76
Wonderful Wonderful – Unicorn
COUNTRY
WINNER Lore of the Land – Phil Walleystack
OTHER NOMINEES
Back Roads – Ray Jones
Show on the Road – Codee-Lee
Time and Time – Harry Foxton
Two Feet – Sally Jane
ELECTRONIC
WINNER DO YOU EVER – Georga Raath
OTHER NOMINEES
Desires – Binary Sunsets
Garden of Edie – EDIE
Reality Check – Leah McFetridge
SUPANOVA Remix featuring KAYPS – Ricky Neil Jr.
EXPERIMENTAL
WINNER fragments II – samarobryn
OTHER NOMINEES
Black Water – yumyab
Clairvoyant, the Owl – Jack Maher
RETURN TO THE ROOFTOP – Sleepthink
Run – Dan Sutherland
FOLK
WINNER Colour The Stencil – Coco Elise
OTHER NOMINEES
ARMOUR – Georgina Dacheff
Like A River – Riley Pearce
Lore of the Land – Phil Walleystack
Soles – Charlie Daniel
GLOBAL
WINNER Pehli Sawan – Avra Banerjee
OTHER NOMINEES
Lantredé – Salama
Romance de vacances – Queency
Sambatra – Tchéga
Someday soon – Marion Beugels
HEAVY/METAL
WINNER D1 – Indigo Blaze
OTHER NOMINEES
Cruel is the wheel – Secular
Evergreen – Viperchain
Ivy – Late 90s
Zealot – The Gremlins
HIP-HOP/RNB
WINNER Sanctuary Stay – PERSIA
OTHER NOMINEES
apathetic – Elianie
Living Without You – SHARIN
Mama Said – And Beyond
New Friends – Kurt Carrera
JAZZ
WINNER Saffron Mastadon – Huey Brazadich
OTHER NOMINEES
Jammin’ With Nate – James Colton
Morning Star – David Rastrick
Never Too Late – Chrissie Pavlovic
Sending All My Love – The Matt Cahill Combo
OUTSTANDING INDIGENOUS
WINNER Walk With The Elders – Alyssa
OTHER NOMINEES
Flames – Bobby Bennell
Lore of the Land – Phil Walleystack
Ngany Kaartdijin (On my mind) – Boox Kid
The Fire – Kenzo
OUTSTANDING REGIONAL
WINNER Bird in a Cage – Codee-Lee
OTHER NOMINEES
Already Gone – Amberley Maryellen
Bike Beach Pub – RATSALAD.
Don’t Give Me No Work – South 76
Rain Check – Pete Byfield
OUTSTANDING UNDER-18
WINNER you know – Zoevi
OTHER NOMINEES
Bittersweet Love Ending – Hiru Kodippili
Handbrake On My Life – Leroy Harvey
OBSESSED – Lily Rawson
What Am I Missing? – Violet T
POP
WINNER Greenhouse – Hollie Isabella
OTHER NOMINEES
Another Hit – Joel Tane
apathetic – Elianie
Fallen Angel – Alexandria
I never changed – STOW
PUNK/HARDCORE
WINNER Pump It – Indigo Blaze
OTHER NOMINEES
Art School Drop Out (Jaz Origin Story) – RATSALAD.
Autophobia – Ten Cent Tiger
Bacon Pig Man – BeefWood Ballet
EMBARRASSED 4 U – Blush
ROCK
WINNER Angels – The Forever Party
OTHER NOMINEES
Public Humiliation – ALEIA
Radio National – Streetlights
Spirals – Unicorn
Standing On The Edge Of The World – Simon London + the Spirits