Inaugural 2026 Seen Awards Longlists Announced Across 6 Categories
Today, Tuesday, March 10, the longlist of nominees for the inaugural 2026 Seen Awards was announced.
by TRS Staff
March 10, 2026 | 7:45a
RICHMOND, VA — The Richmond Seen announces the longlist in 6 categories for the inaugural 2026 Seen Awards: Music, Food & Drink, Arts & Culture, Community, Events and the Seen Award. We had over 100 submissions with 95 acceptable nominations. Our process to come to the longlist involved ensuring nominee fit the category, and were relevant within the 2025 year as a cultural curator and leader according to guidelines.
SOUND OF THE CITY
There were twenty-two artists that were nominated by the community for the inaugural 2026 Seen Awards. Each artist advanced after a careful vetting process. Nominees were then selected based on a minimum benchmark, i.e. number of events, projects or community engagement over the last year, ensuring each artists was truly picked by the community.
The artists, listed in alphabetical order:
CTRL the Room
Daddy Ratchet
DJ Ray Von
Hip Hop Henry
J. Francis
Jae Slimm
Jay Whit
Keith Blvck
LBE Hunt
Michael Millions
Monea
MYLO Global
Naeedy the Don
NameBrand
Nashae Harris
OhBliv
P2P Rixh
Phew Bricks
Ronnie Luxe
Rudy Walker
ShaelaSoul
SJ Big JU
Skuzii
THE TASTE AWARD
Ten food curators & restauranters will advance in the Food & Drink category for the inaugural 2026 Seen Awards. Writers at The Richmond Seen vote to determine the shortlist and nominees.
The curators, listed in alphabetical order:
BeetBox RVA
Black Olive
Charlottes Deli
Chef Pescado
Frozay RVA
Leah Branch
Penny’s
Philly Vegan
Southern Kitchen
Wumami
Read More: The SEEN Awards: Criteria & Qualifications
VISUAL ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Seventeen visual artist will advance in the Arts & Culture category for the inaugural 2026 Seen Awards. Writers at The Richmond Seen vote to determine the shortlist and nominees based on qualifications and how closely nominees line up with the details and winner recommendations.
The visual artists, listed in alphabetical order:
ACAC
AKB Creations
B.C.
Cam Culture
Curbside Branding
FRSH Who
Hummingbird
Jason Ford
Justin Dwight
Maurice Ivory Wilson
MYLO Global
Quincy Coppage
Rick Blair
RJ Brand Customs
Shawn J
Silly Genius
Views by Stokes
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT AWARD
Fourteen community leaders will advance in the Community category. These are persons, or organizations dedicated to building systems that celebrate and protect the culture.
The community leaders, listed in alphabetical order:
C.D.O.T.
Duron Chavis
GM Beat Royal
Jacqueline 'Angie' Horton
Jaxon Project
James Harris
Murph Art Militant
Paid Knox
Richmond Chapter of the Continental Societies
Royalty Ent. Productions
Rudy Walker
RVA Community Fridges
Shannon Strategies Community Firm
The Crew 804
The R.O.C. Project
Tuesday Night Wing Club
Zenobia Bey
EVENT OF THE YEAR
Eleven events will advance in the Cultural Curator category for the inaugural 2026 Seen Awards. Events will be advanced by vote, based on cultural impact and how much impact the event had in the city and beyond.
Nominated events of 2025, listed in alphabetical order:
Art of Noise
Cash Drop RVA
Daydream Festival
Charged Up Fest
Global Connections
myCNTR Safe Space
Richmond Brave 2 Concert
Richmond Night Market
RVA Rap Elite
RVA Wing Wars
The Culture is Couture
VMFA After Hours
THE SEEN AWARD
Twenty individuals and organizations will advance in the Cultural Curator category for the inaugural 2026 Seen Awards. Staff writers for The Richmond Seen verifies whether or not nominees were part of a larger platform on the list, if verified, nominees were advanced within their platform.
Cultural Curators, listed in alphabetical order:
804 Podcast
Aaron Rock
Andrea White Murdaugh
Breonna Moore
C.D.O.T.
CAMP TV
Chelsea Jackson
Golden Dvvisy
Imani Crosby
InDaMix Podcast
Isaiah King
James Harris
Jae Slimm
Jett Williams
myCNTR
Our Digital Radio
Pixie Podcast
Randy Wilson Podcast
Radio B.
The Crew 804
The Producers Lounge
The shortlist will be released on March 30, and the winner will be announced in April. The winner will receive a full interview valid anytime during 2026, along with a statuette known as the ‘SEEN’, sponsored by Contributions To The Culture Foundation.
Six categories will be awarded at the inaugural 2026 Seen Awards. Each category will have six nominees. All rounds of Seen voting are conducted by secret online ballot, tabulated using Google Forms.
The inaugural 2026 Seen Awards will be held on Thursday, April 16, 2026, at myCNTR and will be streamed live via Royalty Entertainment Productions.
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