World Soundtrack Awards 2026 centre on WSA Film Music Days, running Thursday 8 October through Saturday 10 October 2026 in Ghent, Belgium, inside Film Fest Gent (7–18 October). The 26th World Soundtrack Awards Ceremony & Concert closes the three-day industry gathering on 10 October at Muziekcentrum De Bijloke, with the Brussels Philharmonic conducted by Dirk Brossé. This ADVANCE Film guide locks dates, Lifetime Achievement and Guest of Honour headlines, talks, and concerts before the mid-October spike—without twinning our live BFI London or Busan festival hubs.
Dates, venue, and ceremony
Item — Detail
Film Music Days — 8–10 October 2026
Parent festival — Film Fest Gent 7–18 October 2026
Closing ceremony — 26th WSA Ceremony & Concert — Saturday 10 October, Muziekcentrum De Bijloke
Orchestra — Brussels Philharmonic / Dirk Brossé
Lifetime Achievement — Composer Trevor Jones
Guest of Honour — Composer Hildur Guðnadóttir
WSA’s April 2026 announcement confirms Jones’s Lifetime Achievement will be presented at the Bijloke closing night, with live selections from his catalogue. Film Fest Gent’s September programme note lists Guðnadóttir as Guest of Honour for talks and concert spotlighting.
Trevor Jones Lifetime Achievement
Born in Cape Town in 1949, Jones’s five-decade career includes The Last of the Mohicans (1992), Notting Hill (1999), Mississippi Burning (1988), breakthrough work on Excalibur (1981) and The Dark Crystal (1982), and the Labyrinth (1986) collaboration with David Bowie. WSA notes BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations plus a Primetime Emmy for television work. He served on Film Fest Gent’s 1988 international jury—an institutional full-circle before the 2026 honour.
Hildur Guðnadóttir and programme headliners
Icelandic composer and multi-instrumentalist Hildur Guðnadóttir—scores including Joker, Chernobyl, TÁR, and game work such as Battlefield 2042—is Guest of Honour. Film Fest Gent also headlines long-time collaborators Volker Bertelmann and director Edward Berger (All Quiet on the Western Front, Conclave), plus Belgian director Lukas Dhont with composer Valentin Hadjadj on Coward. Nominee workshops name Jeff Russo, Simon Franglen, Andrew Arcadi, and Paris Hurley.
Talks, AI debate, and Videodroom concerts
Beyond award categories (Film Composer of the Year, Television Composer of the Year, Best Original Song, Discovery of the Year, Public Choice, Game Music, Belgian Film Composer of the Year), Film Music Days platform industry panels—including AI’s impact on scoring, corporatisation, and ECSA’s Industry Award focus on legislation and authors’ rights. Concert strand Videodroom (with VIERNULVIER) pairs live re-scores: harpist Mary Lattimore on Kelly Reichardt’s Old Joy, and Icelandic band múm on La vie rêvée with Guðnadóttir present.
People also ask: how do professionals attend?
WSA sells Industry Packages for Film Music Days access to talks, masterclasses, concerts, and networking on chosen days—separate from public Ceremony tickets. Check worldsoundtrackawards.com and filmfestival.be for current package tiers and Bijloke seating; inventory moves as 8 October approaches.
Why ADVANCE now (spike ~8–10 October)
“World Soundtrack Awards 2026,” “WSA Film Music Days,” “Trevor Jones Lifetime Achievement,” and Guðnadóttir Ghent queries rise in the final 7–14 days before the ceremony weekend. A sourced dates-and-guests guide ranks ahead of thin awards stubs and opening-week wire dumps.
Related Sunday Profile Film releases
Deepen the Film releases cluster with our live BFI London Film Festival 2026 (https://www.thesundayprofile.com/bfi-london-film-festival-2026) (7–18 Oct neighbour calendar) and Busan International Film Festival 2026 (https://www.thesundayprofile.com/busan-international-film-festival-2026) (6–15 Oct)—festival-window pieces without twinning this WSA primary keyword.
Sources and caveats
Lifetime Achievement, 8–10 Oct Film Music Days, 10 Oct Bijloke ceremony, Brussels Philharmonic / Brossé, and Jones career framing: WSA news (21 Apr 2026). Programme headliners, Guðnadóttir Guest of Honour, Bertelmann/Berger, Dhont/Hadjadj, Videodroom, AI/industry panels, award categories: Film Fest Gent Film Music Days programme (3 Sep 2026). Dates and Industry Packages: worldsoundtrackawards.com. Daily grids and ticket stock can still move—recheck official sites in the week of 8 October.