Adwaith have won the twelfth annual Welsh Music Prize with their album Bato Mato, taking home the £10,000 prize fund.
Welsh-language Indie Rock band Adwaith have been named the winners of the 2022 Welsh Music Prize, beating over 130 artists to claim the top prize for their album Bato Mato. The band is made up of Hollie Singer, Heledd Owen and Gwenllian Anthony, with the trio originating from Carmarthen. Adwaith secured the Prize, having been shortlisted alongside artists including Gwenno, Cate Le Bon and the Manic Street Preachers. Adwaith made history by becoming the first band to win the Prize twice, having previously secured the Award in 2019 with their album Melyn. Speaking after the ceremony, the band described themselves as “speechless” in a post on Twitter.
The Prize, started by Radio presenter Huw Stephens and music consultant John Rostron, was established with the aim of celebrating and highlighting the best new music in Wales. The Award is sponsored by Welsh Government and PPL, and supported by Help Musicians. For the first time, the ceremony marked the start of the Llais Festival, which takes place in Cardiff from 26th – 30th October. Previous winners of the Prize include Gwenno, Gruff Rhys, Boy Azooga and Georgia Ruth, while last year’s winner was Kelly Lee Owens, with her album Inner Song.
Speaking ahead of the ceremony, Huw Stephens described music as being ‘the beating heart of Wales’, while Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport, Dawn Bowden, added: “I’m delighted that Creative Wales is supporting the Welsh Music Prize for the fourth year. The shortlist reflects the diversity of genres and artists making such exciting music in Wales today”. This year’s judging panel – Aoife Woodlock (Other Voices), Matt Wilkinson (Apple Music), Nest Jenkins (ITV Cymru Wales), Sizwe (Artist/Beacons Cymru), Sophie Williams (NME), Tegwen Bruce Deans (Journalist) and Daniel Minty (Minty’s Gig Guide) – also praised the diversity and depth of the 15 album shortlist.
In addition to the main prize, the Awards also saw charity Help Musicians announce their support for three Triskel Awardees to develop their music and careers. The Triskel Awards are given to three artists who the judges believe offer a bright future for music in Wales, offering a prize of £5000 each. This year’s three Triskel Award winners were Sage Todz, Aderyn and Minas who each received the £5000 award. Mike Peters of the Alarm was also named as the recipient of the Welsh Music Inspiration Award during the ceremony in Cardiff.
You can read more about the Welsh Music Prize here or follow the Welsh Music Prize on Twitter, using @welshmusicprize.
