Finalists announced for the WSA Film Music Composition Contest 2026
The annual WSA Film Music Composition Contest invites young screen composers under the age of 36 to showcase their talent by writing an original symphonic score for a selected film, TV or game excerpt. A professional jury presided by Film Fest Gent Music Director Dirk Brossé, including Classics Curator Patrick Duynslaegher, composers Michelino Bisceglia & Hannes De Maeyer, screenwriter Sanne Nuyens and director Kaat Beels has selected emerging composers Yeakun Yoo, Lidia Pozo Pérez and Xabier Doural Garcia as the three finalists.
Their brand-new scores will be performed live by the Brussels Philharmonic at the World Soundtrack Awards Ceremony & Concert taking place at Music Centre De Bijloke in Ghent on 10 October 2026.
Yeakun Yoo
Yeakun Yoo is a South Korean composer for film, television, and video games. His work spans AAA games, animated series, and international film productions, with a focus on orchestral and psychologically driven storytelling. He studied Composition at Seoul National University and earned a Master’s degree in Screen Scoring from the University of Southern California (USC Thornton School of Music). His credits include Lies of P, PUBG, The Relic: First Guardian, Super Wings, and multiple international film and television projects. He currently serves as Director of YK Music Productions and Adjunct Professor at Seoul Institute of the Arts.
Lidia Pozo Pérez
Lidia Pozo Pérez is a film and television composer from Algeciras, Cádiz (Spain). She earned a degree in Composition from the Conservatory of Seville and later a master’s degree in Scoring for Film, Television and Video Games at Berklee College of Music. During her studies, she had the opportunity to record with international orchestras such as the Budapest Art Orchestra and at renowned studios including AIR Studios in London. Her work 1936 was nominated for Best Classical/Contemporary Work by the Academy of Music of Spain in 2024 and received the Grand Rector’s Prize from Loyola University of Seville that same year. Based in Los Angeles, she works as a composer’s assistant on Jeff Russo’s team, contributing to productions including Cape Fear, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, and Alien: Earth.
Xabier Doural García
Xabier Doural García is a Spanish composer, trombonist, conductor and music educator based in A Coruña. Trained in trombone, piano, conducting and physics, he combines a strong classical background with experience in orchestral, jazz and contemporary music. In 2025, he completed a Master’s Degree in Technologies for Film Scoring and Video Game Music at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. As a performer, he has collaborated with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia under conductors such as Dima Slobodeniouk, Alondra de la Parra and Jonathon Heyward. He also teaches Music Theory in Galicia’s public conservatory system. He composed the score for the awarded short film Rúa Nosa (Andrea Varela, 2025). In 2026, he received the Second Prize at the Indie Film Music Contest for his original rescore of the animation short film Walter (Lorenzo Fresta, 2019).
“The World Soundtrack Awards stimulate young talent worldwide with a unique film music competition. From hundreds of submissions, the jury selected three compelling scores for an excerpt from 'Ratched'; each with its own powerful musical vision. It’s a springboard for young composers to hear their work brought to life by a professional orchestra.”
Previous winners include Alec Sievern (2023, excerpt from video game Abzû), 2024’s winner Florian van der Reijden (excerpt from Nicolas Roeg’s The Witches) and Bongseop Kim (2025, excerpt from David Lynch's The Elephant Man). Check all previous winners at WSAwards.com.