The 2026 edition of A New Local Hero, a major nationwide talent search, culminated with a special live finale event in The Academy in Dublin tonight – with Shimmer Boy announced as the overall winner.

As part of the prize, Shimmer Boy, representingCork's 96FM, will receive €5,000 in prize money; the opportunity to record a single at Camden Recording Studios in Dublin, with renowned producer Cian Boylan; have it mixed and mastered by the Grammy Award-winning Ruadhri Cushnan of Spéir Mix & Master; and release it through Rubyworks – the record label that discovered Hozier.

Over the course of the evening, fans, friends, family and representatives from across the Irish music world watched six of Ireland's most promising stars-in-the-making showcasing their talents – with performances from Groev (Galway Bay FM), Rebecca Lane (FM104), RuntheRed (LMFM), Shimmer Boy (Cork's 96FM), Sitting Room (KFM) and WineMom (Radio Nova).

The acts, who hail from right across the country, each brought their own unique sounds and styles to the show – resulting in a brilliantly diverse celebration of the best of emerging homegrown music.

Despite fantastic performances from all of the acts, there could only be one winner – with Shimmer Boy ultimately winning over the judging panel.

This Cork indie-folk artist showcased his raw, introspective lyricism on his debut album, In the Aftermath, We Bloom, released this summer. He’s clocked up support slots for Dave Lofts and Robert Grace, as well as a sync placement in Made in Chelsea.

In addition to music from all six of the national finalists, the night also featured a special guest performance from Dave Lofts. Lofts, who is just back from a successful tour of Australia, had members of the audience in tears, as he finished with a brilliant version of 'Just A Man'.

“What a night! The quality of the artists selected as Local Heroes, across all 21 participating radio stations this year, was really incredible,” Hot Press editor Niall Stokes said. “That made it very tough for the judges – in the first instance settling on the shortlist of six, and then deciding on a winner tonight.

"To make it even harder, there were some genuinely amazing performances here at the Academy. But there’s no doubt that Shimmer Boy is fully deserving of the accolade of A New Local Hero – and all that goes with it. Hopefully this is going to open up a new chapter for an artist who we believe has the potential to go all the way – all the more so with the support of Hot Press and our 21 IBI stations.

"A huge thanks to all of the artists who performed for us tonight. You were brilliant. A New Local Hero 2026 provided further inspiring confirmation that Irish music is in a really healthy place. Long may it continue."

A New Local Hero is one of the key elements of Irish Music Month – an initiative of Hot Press and the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland, supported by Coimisiún na Meán. 21 local and regional radio stations submitted their individual New Local Heroes as part of the talent search, which an industry judging panel whittled down to six national finalists.

The stations participating in Irish Music Month are, in alphabetical order: Clare FM, Classic Hits, Cork's 96FM, East Coast FM, FM104, Galway Bay FM, Highland Radio, KCLR, KFM, Limerick Live 95FM, LMFM, Midlands 103, Midwest Radio, Northern Sound, Ocean FM, Radio Kerry, Radio Nova, Shannonside FM, South East Radio, Sunshine FM, Tipp FM, and WLR FM.