Award stop Festival stop Man with the Golden Ear 2026 stop

Ziemowit Kosmowski. A musician from Łódź who helped forge Polish punk rock and new wave, rather than merely listening to them. The voice of the bands Brak and Rendez-Vous. One of those thanks to whom Polish alternative music has a history at all.

He started out when going against the grain was a choice, not a poser. Phantom, Brak, Rendez-Vous – successive chapters of the same, uncompromising story. He never let himself be labelled. He never cashed in on his fame. He always kept exploring.

Today, in the duo K-2 with Agata Poremba-Kosmowska, he proves that rebellion doesn’t need electricity to strike like lightning. Acoustic songs full of sarcasm and hope. The album “Ciężkie PUDŁO” is proof that true talent knows no age or genre.

This is not a prize for the past. It is recognition for an artist who still thinks differently. Who, after decades on stage, still has something to say – and says it his own way.

Man with the Golden Ear 2026. In the city that shaped him. For his exceptional musical sensitivity and punk energy.

25 October 2026 | Wytwórnia | Awards ceremony.

Bogdan Kondracki. Music producer, composer, multi-instrumentalist and sound engineer. One of those people whose names do not always appear in the spotlight – but without whom Polish music would sound completely different.

He started on the loud side of the mixing console. As vocalist and bassist, he co-founded Kobong – one of the most important bands in Polish alternative music of the 1990s. Neuma and Nyia followed. Heaviness, experimentation and absolutely no interest in musical pigeonholes.

Then he moved to the other side of the studio glass. He has produced more than fifty albums, working with artists including Ania Dąbrowska, Monika Brodka, Dawid Podsiadło, Kortez, BOKKA, Daria Zawiałow and sanah. He can hear something in an artist before anyone else does – and help them find their own voice.

This award recognises decades spent shaping Polish sound culture. It honours courage, curiosity and exceptional musical sensitivity.

The Golden Ear Award 2026. For everything we hear on record – and for the person we so rarely see. In short: for outstanding achievements in music production.

25 October 2026 | Wytwórnia | Awards Gala.

Iggy Pop. Singer, songwriter and performer. The Godfather of Punk – although before punk even had a name, he had already invented its language.

With The Stooges, he did not look for a place within rock’n’roll. He tore a hole through it. “I Wanna Be Your Dog”, “Search and Destroy”, “Raw Power” – a sound that was raw, dangerous and completely free. Punk before punk became a movement, a fashion and an industry.

Then came his solo career and the albums recorded with David Bowie: “The Idiot” and “Lust for Life”. “The Passenger”, “Lust for Life”, “China Girl”. Songs that entered history without losing any of their defiance. His voice, movement and onstage energy showed the way for generations of artists – from the Sex Pistols to Nirvana.

This award honours an artist who did more than cross boundaries. He showed everyone else that those boundaries were never necessary.

The Golden Ear Award 2026. For Exceptional Musical Sensitivity.

25 October 2026 | Wytwórnia | Awards Gala.