Tom Jenkins wins the Christian Raphael Prize for 2026!

Tom Jenkins has been announced as the winner of the Christian Raphael Prize 2026 in association with the Cambridge Folk Festival. 

Tom Jenkins hails from the hills of the South Wales valleys. A shepherd and Hill farmer by trade, he has woven the post-industrial landscape and the stories of the working class communities into a tapestry of unique, traditionally crafted songs, originally inspired by his family of Coal Miners and Farmers.

This unique prize, launched at 2018’s Festival, contributes £300 per month over the following year to help the winner with their career. The winner also benefits from PR advice from roots publicist Richard Wootton.

Winners of the award are also guaranteed a slot on the Festival bill the following year, so do look forward to a return from Tom Jenkins on our 2027 line-up!

The runner-up for this award also receives a prize of £250, and this has been awarded to Amelia Coburn for 2026. Amelia Coburn has a knack for making the unusual sound timeless. Her honest, occasionally hilarious and quintessentially north-eastern persona disarms and beguiles in equal measure.

Christian Raphael MBE has been attending Cambridge Folk Festival since his childhood. His decision to create this Prize Fund shows his commitment to helping us develop the next generation of Festival headliners.

The Raphael family says “Awarding the Christian Raphael Prize at Cambridge Folk Festival is always a joy, but also a challenge having to choose one artist from this year's a strong creative field. Tom Jenkins is a worthy winner and brought a wealth of Welsh History to life with a strong, warm delivery. We look forward to hearing more from him in the year ahead as well as the original talents of Amelia Coburn, who was the very deserving runner up. Thanks to the other nominated artists who were all good! Sorry you couldn't all win!" 

Tom Jenkins joins a fantastic list of previous winners including Mishra, Katherine Priddy, Nick Hart, Angeline Morrison, Frankie Archer and The Deep Blue.

See more details about the award and our previous winners here.

Photography by Aaron Parsons.