Announcement of the finalists of the “Victoria-2026” award: Expert voting and star jury

On December 9, 2025, a press conference dedicated to the announcement of the finalists of the Russian National Music Award “Victoria-2026” was held at the TASS press center. The process of selecting the winners was carried out by closed voting by the academicians of the Prize – these are people’s artists of Russia, famous composers, poets and producers, top managers of the largest media holdings and labels. The awards ceremony will take place on March 14, 2026 at the Live Arena. Compliance with the rules and the procedure for counting votes was monitored by the auditor of the award – Kept.

The event was attended by key figures of the musical world: Yuri Kostin (President of the Foundation for Support of Domestic Music and the Victory Award), Igor Krutoy (People's Artist of the Russian Federation, composer and one of the founders of the award), Nikolai Baskov, Alexander Ivanov (leader of the Rondo group) and Alexander Stepanov (ST). During the press conference, issues of transparency of voting, mechanisms for the selection of nominees and criteria for the selection of works were discussed. Special attention was paid to the role of professionals in assessing creativity and opportunities for artists. The topic of the distribution of hip-hop and rap music in the mainstream, as well as the importance of the emotional connection between artists and their audience, was also touched upon.

The speakers stressed that the Victoria Prize is different from others due to the sincerity and objectivity of the jury, which is not afraid to criticize and does not seek comfort. Igor Krutoi noted the stability and trust in the project, and Nikolai Baskov stressed that the artist is primarily a service, and Alexander Ivanov noted the importance of professional evaluation, not just audience preference. Alexander Stepanov (ST) noted that rap has penetrated into all genres and that the Award contributes to its development.

During the press conference, the main nominations were announced: Singer of the Year, Singer of the Year, Pop Group of the Year, Best Rock Group, Rock Performer, Poet of the Year, Hip-Hop Performer of the Year, Soundtrack of the Year, Urban Romance of the Year, Dance Hit of the Year, Music Video of the Year, Composer of the Year, Concert of the Year and Song of the Year. A full shortlist of finalists has also been submitted.