Twelve songs from new musicals have been named as finalists for the 2026 Stiles + Drewe Best New Song Prize, with the winner to be revealed at a concert at The Other Palace in London on 12 October 2026 (WhatsOnStage).

The prize, established by the songwriting duo George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, recognises an outstanding song from a new musical written by a member of Mercury Musical Developments — an organisation that supports musical theatre writers in the UK. It is run in partnership with Theatrical Rights Worldwide. The winner receives £1,000 to support the development of their work, selected by an industry judging panel that includes Stiles and Drewe themselves.

The 2026 finalist list spans a wide range of subject matter and writing teams. The songs are: "A Sliver of Sunlight" from Hyacinthus by Trevor K. Band; "Be Your Own Man" from Rising by Amy Clare Tasker and Tom James McGrath; "Earth To Theo" from Theo In Between by Gareth Mattey and Jordan Li Smith; "Every Day" from The Deep End by Dom Patterson, Kate Peters and Paul Grady; "Father" from Confessional by James Lark; "First" from Sally In The Woods by James Joshua Otto and P Burton-Morgan; "In The Beginning" from Legendary by Cheeyang Ng; "Monster In The Mirror" from Stigma by Jane Subachus; "Paris Is Calling" from Le Pètomane – The Musical by Tim Waters; "Shadows" from The Last Lost Boy by Jacob Attwooll and Kyla Stroud; "Skylines" from Elbow Deep by Elinor Peregrine; and "There's More To Me" from The Most Hated Family In America by Aveev Issacson and Matt Bond.

The October concert will be directed by Alex Jackson, with musical direction by Livi van Warmelo. All twelve finalist songs will be performed on the night before the panel announces its decision.

Last year's prize went to "Drown Without Water" by Rachel Walker Mason and Nina Sundstrom, which was announced at the 2025 finalists' concert at The Other Palace in November. The 2025 shortlist also included Yve Blake's "The Purple Striped Tiger" and "I Still Believe in Love" from Rosie the Musical by Freya Catrin Smith and Jack Williams, among twelve finalists in total.

The prize has been a consistent fixture in the new-musical landscape, with twelve-song shortlists a recurring format. For emerging writers, the £1,000 award is less a windfall than a signal — a judging panel of working professionals has singled out a song worth hearing, and an audience at a central London venue will hear it performed.

The Other Palace, a 285-seat venue in Victoria owned by Stage Star, has become the prize's regular home. The 12 October concert will be the first chance for audiences to hear all twelve songs from this year's shortlist in one sitting.