2026 Seen Awards Announces Shortlist of 35 Finalists Across Six Categories
This evening, Monday, March 30, the shortlist of nominees for the inaugural 2026 Seen Awards was announced.
by TRS Staff
March 30, 2026 | 10:55p
RICHMOND, VA — We’ve got the shortlist! The previous longlist of 95 has been tightened to a solid 35, marking a major step toward celebrating this year’s most impactful voices throughout Richmond’s creative, cultural, and community-driven landscapes.
This year’s awards span six categories: Music, Food & Drink, Arts & Culture, Community, Events, and the distinguished Seen Award, which recognizes standout cultural impact across all lanes.
Our process to arrive at the shortlist was intentional and rooted in integrity. Each nominee was carefully reviewed by the Seen TRS staff and contributing writers to ensure they:
• Fit their respective category
• Demonstrated meaningful impact
• Were active and relevant within the 2025 calendar year
• Embodied the role of a cultural curator, contributor, or leader in Richmond
This internal review process helped ensure that every nomination reflected not just popularity, but true cultural influence and contribution within the city.
Nominees include standout contributors such as Justice Dwight, All City Art Club, Zenobia Bey, In Da Mix Podcast, OhBliv, Wumami, The JXN Project, Camp TV, BeetBox RVA, Jacqueline ‘Angie’ Horton, MYLO Global, Ronnie Luxe, and many more.
And your nominees are…
SOUND OF THE CITY AWARD
The artists, listed in alphabetical order:
Michael Millions
NameBrand
OhBliv
P2P Rixh
Ronnie Luxe
ShaelaSoul
THE TASTE AWARD
The curators, listed in alphabetical order:
BeetBox RVA
Black Olive
Charlotte’s Deli
Frozay
Philly Vegan
Wumami
Read More: The SEEN Awards: Criteria & Qualifications
VISUAL ARTIST OF THE YEAR AWARD
The visual artists, listed in alphabetical order:
All City Art Club
BC Music 1st
Justice Dwight
MYLO Global
Rick Blair
Views by Stokes
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT AWARD
The community leaders, listed in alphabetical order:
Duron Chavis
Jacqueline 'Angie' Horton
JXN Project
The R.O.C. Project
Rudy Walker
Zenobia Bey
EVENT OF THE YEAR AWARD
Nominated events of 2025, listed in alphabetical order:
Charged Up Fest
The Culture is Couture
Global Connections
Richmond Brave 2 Concert
Daydream Festival
THE SEEN AWARD
Cultural Curators, listed in alphabetical order:
804 Podcast
Breonna Moore
Camp TV
Chelsea Jackson
InDaMix Podcast
Radio B.
Winners will be announced on April 16. Six categories will be awarded at the inaugural 2026 Seen Awards. Each category will have six nominees (except Event of the Year Award). All rounds of voting are conducted by secret online ballot, tabulated using Google Forms through the SEEN Committee.
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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