“Golden” from “KPop Demon Hunters” won Best Original Song at the 2026 World Soundtrack Awards, part of the full winners list announced after the ceremony and concert held Oct. 10 at Film Fest Gent in Belgium. The track’s win caps a run that already included a Golden Globe, a Grammy and an Oscar, and comes after the song spent eight weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100.
“Golden” was written by Kim Eun-jae, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo and Teddy Park. It was performed by Huntrix: EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI. According to Variety, the winners were not on hand to collect the award.
The 2026 World Soundtrack Awards also recognized work in film and television scoring, along with a discovery prize and a fan-voted honor, rounding out a night built around original composition and songwriting across film, television and animation.
2026 World Soundtrack Awards Winners List
- Best Original Song: “Golden” from “KPop Demon Hunters”
- Film Composer of the Year: Daniel Pemberton, for “Project Hail Mary,” “The Drama,” “The Bad Guys 2” and “Masters of the Universe”
- Television Composer of the Year: Jeff Russo, for “Alien: Earth,” “Cape Fear” and “Citadel” Season 2
- Discovery of the Year: Hannah Peel, for “Midwinter Break”
- Public Choice Award: Kevin Smithers, for the Mexican stop-motion feature “Soy Frankelda”
Best Original Song Field
“Golden” beat out four other nominated songs for the award. “House” from “Wuthering Heights,” written by Charli xcx, John Cale, Nathan Klein and Finn Keane and performed by Charli xcx and John Cale, was among the contenders. Cynthia Erivo’s “No Place Like Home” from “Wicked: For Good,” written by Stephen Schwartz, also competed.
The category rounded out with “Stolen Tale” from “Hedda,” written by Hildur Guðnadóttir and Nia DaCosta and performed by Mariam Wallentin, and “Train Dreams” from the film of the same name, written by Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner and performed by Cave.
EJAE and Mark Sonnenblick took the Best Original Song prize fresh off their Academy Award win for “Golden.” Speaking to Variety, EJAE addressed how she views her own work as a songwriter. “As an artist, I don’t want myself to be boxed into being a ‘K-pop’ artist because I don’t really view myself as a K-pop artist or a pop artist. I view myself as a songwriter of every genre,” she said.
Film And Television Composer Winners
Daniel Pemberton’s Film Composer of the Year win marks his third honor at the World Soundtrack Awards. He previously won the category in 2021 and took home Discovery of the Year in 2014. He beat out fellow nominees Alexandre Desplat, recognized for “Frankenstein,” “Eagles of the Republic,” “Jurassic World Rebirth” and “L’homme qui rétrécit,” and Hildur Guðnadóttir, nominated for “The Bride!,” “Hedda” and “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.”
Jeff Russo earned Television Composer of the Year for his scoring work on “Alien: Earth,” “Cape Fear” and the second season of “Citadel.”
What’s Next
The 2026 ceremony closes out this year’s World Soundtrack Awards cycle, with Film Fest Gent again serving as host for the concert and presentation. No details on a 2027 edition have been announced.
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