A total of 460 nominations were submitted for the inaugural awards, which recognise local musicians, bands, DJs, venues, community groups and music events.
The winners will be announced at a ceremony at The Lights on Tuesday, October 13.
Organisers said public response exceeded expectations, with nominations highlighting everyone from emerging young performers and original songwriters to established bands, community choirs and grassroots music champions.
(Image: Andover Music Awards)
Ben Tuffin, from the Andover Music Awards team, said: “The Andover Music Awards are all about celebrating the incredible musical talent we have right here in our local community. To receive 460 nominations for our very first awards was fantastic and really demonstrated just how strong Andover’s music scene is.
“Selecting the finalists certainly wasn’t easy because the quality of the nominations was so high, but we got there, and we’re incredibly excited for the awards evening. It’s shaping up to be a brilliant celebration of local music, and we have no doubt it will be a fantastic night.
“A huge thank you has to go to everyone who took the time to nominate someone and support the awards. We’d also like to thank our main sponsor, Perfect Bore Manufacturing, and all our category sponsors. Their support has helped make the very first Andover Music Awards possible.”
Among the headline categories, Tipsy Gypsies, Weird Science and The Torn Off Strips have been shortlisted for Best Band, while Jake Ward, Paul Jude Wilson and Shaun Bessant will compete for the Best Male award.
Sarah McNair, Georgie Amelia and Unay Acar-Sumer are finalists for Best Female.
(Image: Newsquest)
Original music features strongly in the awards, with Lucy by Dan Parkinson, Two Doors Away by The Torn Off Strips and 3 More Weeks by Maddison A shortlisted for Best Original Song.
The awards also recognise the venues that support live music in the town, with The Lights, The Foresters Arms and The Angel Inn making the shortlist for Best Music Venue.
Meanwhile, Music at the Manor, Andover Rocks and Andover Anarchy have been named finalists for Best Music Event.
Young performers are represented through dedicated categories, with Josh Lynn, Harry Pearce and Toby Allen shortlisted for Young Musician of the Year, while Arksee, The Wobblies and The Buzz are competing for Young Band/Group of the Year.
Community groups have also been recognised, with Andover Rocks Team, Andover Ladies Choir and Uke@Heart named finalists for Community Group of the Year.
Organisers have said winners will be chosen on merit rather than popularity, with judging based on the quality of nominations submitted rather than public votes.
The awards are backed by Perfect Bore Manufacturing Ltd, with support from Andover Radio and Love Andover.
Finalists are being asked to email amas@loveandover.com with the names of those attending as part of their allocation. Tickets for members of the public are due to go on sale on Wednesday on loveandover.com/
Andover Music Awards 2026 finalists
Awards night: Tuesday, October 13, 2026
Venue: The Lights, Andover
Best male
Jake Ward
Paul Jude Wilson
Shaun Bessant
Best female
Georgie Amelia
Sarah McNair
Unay Acar-Sumer
Best DJ
Paul Alex
Daniel James
Chris McKeegan
Newcomer of the year
Arksee
Eastwood Revival
Chanelle Steneberg
Best music venue
The Lights
The Foresters Arms
The Angel Inn
Best music event
Music at the Manor
Andover Rocks
Andover Anarchy
Best band
The Torn Off Strips
Weird Science
Tipsy Gypsies
Best live act
Cove
Stonepig
The Covergirlz
Best original act
5 Nights at Adyans
Uncle Dave’s Biscuit Barrel
Echotape
Best original song
Two Doors Away – The Torn Off Strips
Lucy – Dan Parkinson
3 More Weeks – Maddison A
Young musician of the year
Josh Lynn
Harry Pearce
Toby Allen
Young band/group of the year
Arksee
The Wobblies
The Buzz
Musician/instrumentalist of the year
Dan Parkinson
Shaun Bessant
Dave Allon
Community group of the year
Andover Rocks Team
Andover Ladies Choir
Uke@Heart