Jonathan Davies has won the Dysgwr y Flwyddyn 2026 competition, and was presented with the prize on the Pavilion stage at the National Eisteddfod of Garreg Las on Wednesday. He beat Caroline Jones, Kierion Lloyd and Paige Morgan to the title.
Davies, from Loughor near Swansea, began learning Welsh to reconnect with his heritage and identity after living in London.
He studied Music there, completing a degree and a master's degree before training as a teacher through a PGCE course. In 2020, he started learning Welsh, making rapid progress and becoming a confident Welsh speaker.
He later went on to begin a PhD in Linguistics and Education through the medium of Welsh at Cardiff University, focusing on accessibility in education.
He facilitates a young learners' group, teaches creative writing, and is the founder of the Ymchwil y Gweilch podcast.
He is also part of a team developing a bilingual tool to assess text accessibility.
Jonathan Davies, Caroline Jones, Kierion Lloyd and Paige Morgan were in this year's final of Dysgwr y Flwyddyn.
This year’s judges were Karl Davies, Kevin Knox and Mirain Iwerydd.
The winner receives the Dysgwr y Flwyddyn trophy and a cash prize of £300. The other three finalists each receive £100.
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Key Facts
- Jonathan Davies won Dysgwr y Flwyddyn 2026.
- The award was presented on Wednesday on the Pavilion stage at the National Eisteddfod of Garreg Las.
- The other finalists were Caroline Jones, Kierion Lloyd and Paige Morgan.
- The winner receives a trophy and £300; the other finalists receive £100 each.
- This year’s judges were Karl Davies, Kevin Knox and Mirain Iwerydd.
