Introducing The 2026 Grapevine Music Awards Winners

Roll out the red carpet, please

The Reykjavík Grapevine Music Awards are doled out each year in the beginning of February. Having covered the winners of Artist Of The Year and Song Of The Year (Alaska1867 and “eh plan” by digital ísland, respectively) in our cover feature, here come the winners of each category of the 2026 Reykjavík Grapevine Music Awards.

Photo by Anna Maggý

Artist Of The Year
Alaska1867

When looking back at 2025, Alaska1867 was the name that stood out on liner notes and headline shows. Although her debut album 222 came out in February, Alaska had been making the rounds on Soundcloud, building up hype to her eventual release. “It’s like she’s always been here,” a panellist remarked. Bursting onto the blossoming rap scene, Alaska brings feminine air to a male-dominated field. “She transcends the kind of hip-hop-dude scene, collaborating with all kinds of different artists and garnering support all throughout,” another panellist described. Ultimately, Alaska’s reign over 2025 could not be overlooked. “She owned this year,” the panel agreed.

Nominees:

Knackered

múm

Páll Óskar & Benni Hemm Hemm

Album Of The Year
Dyrnar — Birnir

If you’ve glimpsed into Icelandic music in the last few years, you’re undoubtedly no stranger to Birnir. Beginning his hip-hop career in 2017, Birnir has been a household name in recent years, especially with the release of his 2021 Bushido. With Dyrnar, Birnir seems to push his art even further. “I am of the opinion that this is the best Birnir album he has ever released. It’s cool, it’s cohesive, and it’s the album of the year,” a panellist deliberated. “Ambitious, put together, and abrasive, Dyrnar is a top highlight of 2025 in music,” said another. And you can’t speak about Dyrnar without mentioning the album art, which features a real-life bronze-cast bust of Birnir himself — giving new meaning to the word ‘bling’.

Nominees:

a place to be by RAKEL

History of Silence by múm

Reykjavík Syndrome by Spacestation

digital Ísland performing at LEMMY // Photo by Atli Freyr Steinsson

Song Of The Year
“eh plan?” by digital ísland

Releasing nothing but singles in 2025, digital ísland know when to throw their punches and when to hold back. Practically a supergroup, the award-winning, chart-topping musicians came together to create the ultimate club group. “eh plan?” is based on the age-old Icelandic custom of cruising around, loitering the night away with no set goal. “‘eh plan?’ is an effective car-cruising banger and an anthem for ‘rúnturinn’,” the panel said. “Its gallant lyrics, electronic instrumentation and smooth song structure make it the most on-repeat song the panel heard this year,” they stated.

Nominees:

Alaska1867 for “SMS”

KUSK & Óviti for “HJÁ MÉR”

Páll Óskar & Benni Hemm Hemm for “Eitt af Blómunum”

Best Visual Representation
“Taking My Time” by Flesh Machine, directed by Snæfríður Sól Gunnarsdóttir

In 2025, the category Best Music Video underwent the transformation into Best Visual Representation. Every once in a while, a music video shows up whose concept is so perplexing that it manages to become unexpectedly memorable. Such was the case with Flesh Machine’s “Taking My Time,” whose simple premise is centred on the protagonist — portrayed by local TikTok creator Kjartan Logi Sigurjónsson — hurling himself down the various staircases around town. The panel noted that, “the video has criminally low watch numbers,” not necessarily a fact to bear in mind when you’ve sacrificed your bones for the artistic process. “Having someone fall down an indeterminate amount of stairs is equally creative as it is baffling when you first hear about it,” the panel stated.

Nominees:

Dyrnar album artwork, creative direction by Doddi Digital

“Sage” by Ólafur Arnalds and Loreen, directed by Thora Hilmarsdóttir

“Midnight Sky” by Kári Egils, directed by Didda Flygenring

Photo by Art Bicnick

Best Live Act
Knackered

When contemplating the winner for Best Live Act, the panel voiced their opinion unanimously. “All I heard this year was buzz about Knackered,” a panellist remarked. A nominee for the Ones To Watch category last year, it looks as if Knackered rose up to the expectations. The solo project of local musician Ida Juhl, Knackered was borne out of the remnants of Ida’s previous work as IDK IDA. Working within a similar repertoire, Knackered turns her techno-adjacent music up to 11. “This sound is unlike anything else we’ve heard in town. It’s almost as if she doesn’t live in Reykjavík,” one panel member said in exasperation.

Nominees:

Flesh Machine

symfaux

Unfiled

Best Kept Secret
Halidome by Emma

Participating in the 2023 rendition of Músíktilraunir, avant-folk group Emma brewed their material for a while before finally coming out with their debut Halidome in mid-2025. According to the panel, the four-piece’s release did not receive the attention it needed. “Emma’s debut album sprang forth with vision and energy, bringing an immensely thoughtful and fresh take on Icelandic folk-rock,” one panellist noted. “Halidome deserved way more praise than it was granted,” another noted.

Nominees:

Í hringi by Woolly Kind

Oh Mamaby Dagskrá

Psionic Dreamsby Godchilla

Photo by Sunna Ben

Ones To Watch
BKPM

Swimming on the periphery of the music scene since 2023, BKPM is one of the growing number of guitar-focused groups hustling the Reykjavík scene. Their debut LP Bíddu Ha? brought forth a resurgence of post-punk and experimental rock into the city, maintaining an air of playfulness to their performances, like dressing up in matching hi-vis vests. “BKPM has great promise,” said a panel member. “I can’t wait to see what they do next, I’m sure it will be even better,” another remarked. “The album and the band’s live performances demonstrate that BKPM are a group on the rise, with way more power to punch than they let on,” the panel agreed.

Nominees:

digital island

Fríd

Julian Civilian

Shout Out
Ólátagarður

Every organic music scene cannot exist without the hangers-on and the supporters: the ones who spread the word of the bustling creativity happening in the city. In honour of its five-year anniversary, the panel agreed to acknowledge the RÚV radio show Ólátagarður, whose bread and butter is showcasing unknown, grassroots artists.

Since its inception, Ólátagarður has been sharing the undiscovered talent of Icelandic music, “playing something new and fresh on the radio,” as one panellist described them. Despite being hosted on the National Broadcasting Service, the programme was conceived by outside players as a concept submission for the institution during their annual “Idea Days.” “I can’t recall a time where I recognised an artist they played,” noted a panel member, referring to the program’s obscurity.

Nominees:

marvaða

Óli Dóri

Reykjavík Record Shop

Best Music Event
quean : kven : queen by Samantha Shay and Sóley Stefánsdóttir

Introducing a new category this year, Best Music Event is supposed to honour the multitude of ambitious programming musicians set out to actualise. In spite of financial and personal risks, artists leap from the cliffs of uncertainty to pursue an idea worth exploring.

After time-consuming deliberation, the panel decided to award Samantha Shay and Sóley Stefánsdóttir’s quean : kven : queen performance in Salurinn. Staged on the 50th anniversary of the Icelandic Women’s Strike, queen confronted the ongoing struggle for gender equality, turning collective resistance into an immersive artistic experience. Combining numerous different art disciplines, such as music, dance, text, and visuals, the final outcome painted “a powerful image,” described one panellist.

Nominees:

Norðanpaunk DIY Festival

Sátan Metal Festival

Spider Network for Kárahátíð

The 2026 panel comprised:

Alexander Le Sage de Fontenay

Ish Sveinsson Houle

Jóhannes Bjarkason

Kristján Guðjónsson

Maria-Carmela Raso