Capital Region’s Top Musicians Recognized in 2026 Thomas Edison Music Awards Nominations

SCHENECTADY (Feb. 19) – Nominations have been announced for the eighth annual Capital Region Thomas Edison Music Awards, co-presented with WEXT. The annual ceremony will be held 6 p.m. Sunday, April 26 on the MainStage at Proctors and tickets are on sale now.

“We at WEXT are all about the Local 518 music scene, and we are proud to join forces with Proctors Collaborative to present both the Eddies Hall of Fame and Eddies Awards ceremonies,” says Chris Wienk, Vice President of Radio, WMHT/WEXT. “It is so important for us to celebrate the musicians in our community. It is a robust and invigorating community of creatives. We love them all!”

Founded in 2019, the Eddies Awards celebrate the incredible talent and dedication of the 518 music community. This year, more than 190 finalists across over 30 categories are being recognized for their work during 2025. Finalists were selected through a combination of public nominations and review by a panel of music-community judges.

“There’s an incredible amount of passion in this region’s music scene, not just from artists, but from the photographers, journalists, producers, venues, and promoters who make it all possible,” says producer Kelly Auricchio. “Every year, the event evolves to better reflect the work happening here. Introducing a public nomination phase and submission requirements for categories like Music Photographer and Music Journalist of the Year is part of our effort to make the process more thoughtful and rooted in the work itself.”

In addition to finalists in the categories below, several surprise Merit Award recipients will be announced for music-related activities outside of traditional award categories at the show. The event will also feature several musical performances throughout the night to be announced in the coming weeks.

This is one of two annual Eddies Music Awards ceremonies. Eddie Angel, Ernie Williams, Lee Shaw, Heavenly Echoes Gospel Band, Jim Furlong, Dominick Campana, and the visionary owners of the Van Dyck will be inducted into the Capital Region Thomas Edison Music Hall of Fame 7 p.m. Monday, March 23 at Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs. There will be tribute performances throughout the night by Jeff Siegel, Rich Syracuse, and Nick Hetco; The Sound Minds with Johnny Rabb; Dryer; and the Wildcats; with pre-show entertainment by 2Blue! To learn more about the Hall of Fame and to purchase tickets to the event, visit atuph.org.

The Eddies Music Awards and Hall of Fame are an initiative of Proctors Collaborative. For more information and the full list of 2026 Eddies Award nominees, visit theeddiesawards.com. Tickets are on sale through the Box Office at Proctors in person, via phone at (518) 346-6204 Tuesday- Saturday 12-6 p.m., or online by visiting atproctors.org. 

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