Following the success of our 2024 and 2025 talent search, we’re delighted to be teaming up once again with our festival broadcaster BBC ALBA in the quest to find the best up-and-coming musical talent from the north and north-east of Scotland.

Open to solo artists and bands (where at least 50% of its members have a home address in the north or north-east of Scotland) across all genres, one newcomer will be given the opportunity to perform on the main stage at this year’s Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival.

Known for our unique and diverse showcase of music and the arts, Bella grown exponentially over the past 20 years, now attracting tens of thousands of visitors. As we prepare for our 22nd year, with acts including Callum Beattie, The Human League, James, Mika and Brooke Combe confirmed, and now we’re on the hunt to find the best new homegrown talent to open the Hot House Stage on Thursday 30 July.

True to its longstanding support of Scottish artists, BBC ALBA is supporting the search, providing a platform to propel newcomers onto the celebrated Scottish music scene, as well as an additional opportunity for the winner to appear in BBC ALBA’s festival coverage.

“We’re very excited to be working alongside the Belladrum team again this year. One of the highlights of the past few years has been seeing previous talent search winners Cameron Ferguson and Falasgair getting the festival underway, both playing knock-out sets in front of expectant crowds.
We're delighted to showcase this year’s talent search winner as part of our ongoing festival coverage. Our Belladrum highlights are always a popular fixture in BBC ALBA’s summer schedule, whether that’s for those not able to be in attendance or festival goers who just want to relive a magical weekend all over again!”
Calum McConnell, Commissioning Editor at BBC ALBA

Musicians can apply by submitting a bio and link to their music to tartanheart@bbc.co.uk, with entries judged by a panel of experts, including representatives from the BBC and Belladrum, alongside an independent musician appearing at the festival, before the shortlist goes to a public vote.

Applications will open Monday 1 June at 09:00 and will close at 23:59 on Monday 8 June. It is expected that the public vote will open on Friday 12 June, and will close at 09:00 on Friday 19 Jun, ahead of Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival 2026 taking place Thursday 30 July to Saturday 1 August.

Previous winners of the talent search include singer-songwriter Cameron Ferguson, who now fronts the band brittle, and Isle of Skye based band Falasgair. Since appearing at the Belladrum festival in 2025, Falasgair have gone on to release their debut album with a show at Celtic Connections, supported Valtos at a sold-out Barrowlands, and played festivals the length and breadth of the country.

Falasgair playing Belladrum Festival

“Partnering with BBC ALBA to find the next wave of Scottish talent continues to be one of the highlights of our year. There is so much incredible talent out there and this is exactly the kind of platform that can change the course of an artist's journey.

What I love most is that moment of discovery when a fresh voice takes to the Belladrum stage and the crowd just connects with them. We've seen that spark so many times over the years, and those artists have gone on to do brilliant things. We look forward to seeing who emerges this year!”

Dougie Brown, Belladrum Festival Producer.

Belladrum brings together top musical acts, comedy, cabaret, spoken word, dance, drag and even wrestling as part of the annual family-friendly festival. A wealth of new names and popular crowd-pleasers have been added to the festival line-up over the past few months, including Rizzle Kicks, Sigala, Scottish folk-rock favourites Skerryvore and Mànran, Symphonic Ibiza, Irish singer and songwriter Janet Devlin, and chart toppers Lottery Winners.

Tickets are available now (include day tickets and 2 day tickets):

Book Now

BBC ALBA will be bringing the best of the festival to viewers at home across the weekend, available on BBC ALBA and BBC iPlayer. Watch live or on demand: Belladrum on BBC ALBA. Coverage of the Belladrum festival is funded by MG ALBA with production by Beezr Studios.