Andrew Cusworth has won the Composer's Medal at the National Eisteddfod of Wales, held this year at Garreg Las, with judges recognising his choral settings inspired by the poetry of Waldo Williams. The composer was chosen from a shortlist of three finalists selected out of 27 entrants, and the £750 prize was presented following performances of his work during Saturday's ceremony in the Pavilion.
This year's competition theme centred on the verse of Waldo Williams, widely regarded as one of Wales's foremost 20th-century poets and a native son of the local area. According to the Welsh Music Guild, the theme "Lleisiau Waldo" was chosen specifically to honour his connection to the Garreg Las region.
Judges narrowed the field of 27 applicants down to three composers: Andrew Cusworth, Gwenno Morgan and Claire Victoria Roberts. Each spent six months collaborating with composer and tutor Nathan James Dearden to craft new choral pieces, with the brief requiring two short compositions — one for an SATB choir and another for a children's or youth choir (SA) — both drawing on Waldo Williams's words.
Per Tŷ Cerdd's official competition details, each of the three shortlisted composers received £600 simply for taking part in the mentorship pathway, on top of the £750 awarded to the eventual winner. The finished works were unveiled to audiences at the Pavilion ceremony on Saturday.
Who is Andrew Cusworth?
The composer, who hails from south Pembrokeshire, studied music at Cambridge, where he held an organ scholarship at Magdalen College. He went on to complete an MMus in choral studies, also at Cambridge, before earning a doctorate from the Open University for his research into traditional Welsh music.
His compositions have been published by Novello and Curiad, and performed and recorded by a range of artists and ensembles, including Kantos, Concanenda, John Turner, BBC Singers and Calmus Ensemble. Tŷ Cerdd's composer database lists him among the artists it represents.
How does this fit into the wider competition history?
The Composer's Medal is run jointly by the National Eisteddfod, Tŷ Cerdd and the Welsh Music Guild. According to a Welsh-language reference on the prize's history, the competition was reshaped in 2024 into its current format, in which three shortlisted composers spend several months working with a mentor and performers to develop new material before a winner is chosen.
This year's £750 prize was presented by Iestyn Evans in memory of his piano teacher, Beti Williams of Rhos-fach, Llantwd.
What else is happening at this year's Eisteddfod?
The 2026 National Eisteddfod is being staged at Llantood in Pembrokeshire and runs from 1 to 8 August, with organisers expecting the festival's more than 1,000 events to draw around 150,000 visitors, according to a national newspaper's coverage of the festival.
The Composer's Medal announcement follows a series of other prize results at this year's festival. Earlier in the week, Martin Huws won the Eisteddfod's Crown for his work Fan[-]go, while Rebecca Thomas took the Daniel Owen Memorial Prize for her unpublished novel Ynys Gwales. Separately, Islwyn Evans was named winner of the Sir T. H. Parry-Williams Memorial Medal, an honour the voice teacher and choral director was due to receive on 4 August 2026.
What happens next?
Before Saturday's prize presentation, six composers involved in this year's Waldo Williams-themed choral project had their new works premiered at a dedicated Composer's Medal event on 7 August 2026, according to a Welsh music and theatre industry preview. The Eisteddfod's programme continued through to its closing day on 8 August 2026, with the Composer's Medal ceremony forming one of the festival's final major events.
Key Facts
- Andrew Cusworth won the £750 Composer's Medal at the National Eisteddfod of Garreg Las.
- He was selected from a shortlist of three composers out of 27 total applicants.
- This year's theme was the poetry of Waldo Williams, a native of the local area.
- Each of the three finalists received £600 for participating, alongside the winner's £750 prize.
- The 2026 Eisteddfod ran from 1–8 August at Llantood, Pembrokeshire, drawing an estimated 150,000 visitors.
