Trailblazing poet, punk icon and cultural visionary Patti Smith has been announced as the winner of the 12th Penderyn Music Book Prize, receiving the UK’s only dedicated award for the best writing on music for her powerful memoir, Bread of Angels (Bloomsbury).
The prize, founded in 2015 and sponsored by Penderyn Distillery, was presented today at the Laugharne Weekend Festival in Wales – a fittingly poetic location long associated with Dylan Thomas. Smith joined the event live from New York in a heartfelt YouTube link-up, broadcast to festival audiences and fans worldwide.
▶ Watch her acceptance speech here: https://link.edgepilot.com/s/7cc5e5e3/31lx7mEq00aLhHNT1aNClw?u=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXYcgOC8UbI
A Voice That Still Inspires Generations
In her acceptance remarks, a visibly moved Smith said:
“This is such great encouragement… I’m so surprised, I’m so pleased. When I started writing Bread of Angels, I wanted to write a book to show gratitude to my family and talk about my life, but I found that music and poetry weaves so much into my life, so I’m very glad that that was appreciated. This prize with the word ‘Penderyn’ and the ‘Pen’, the perfect word for a writer. I’m very grateful to receive the prize, and I am delighted to have the recognition and how much respect I have for the other writers on the list.”
Smith’s Bread of Angels: A Memoir continues her unflinching chronicle of art, faith and creativity – a deeply human sequel to Just Kids and M Train that captures the delicate intersection of music, loss, memory and renewal. Her lyrical prose and enduring voice have again proven that her genius flows as much from the pen as from the stage.
Celebrating the Art of Music Writing
The Penderyn Music Book Prize remains the only UK-based award celebrating books about music in all its forms – spanning history, biography, autobiography, theory, criticism and cultural commentary. Organised by Richard Thomas, the prize has become a cornerstone of the British literary calendar and an essential celebration of writing that explores how music shapes our lives and identities.
Richard Thomas said:
“It’s long been an oddity that while there are prizes for the best sports book, the best travel book, the best food and drink book, there was never a prize for the best music book. That gap was crying out to be filled. In 2014, Jon Tregenna, then at Browns and Penderyn Distillery, brought the idea to Penderyn’s CEO Stephen Davies – and the partnership was born. A decade on, it’s thriving and more relevant than ever.”
Penderyn and the Spirit of Storytelling
Stephen Davies, Chief Executive of Penderyn Distillery, added his congratulations to Patti Smith:
“Good stories, music and the finest single malt go hand-in-hand. At Penderyn, we’re passionate supporters of the creative spirit, and we’re big fans of the incredible work Richard Thomas and John Williams have built through the Laugharne Weekend. Patti Smith embodies everything the prize stands for – artistic authenticity, lyrical power, and a deep love of music. We’re thrilled she’s our 2026 winner.”
From punk clubs in 1970s New York to global stages and literary acclaim, Smith has long stood as one of the most important voices of her generation. Her Penderyn Prize win recognises a lifetime of creative integrity and a memoir that resonates with both music lovers and readers everywhere.
The 2026 Shortlist: Remarkable Diversity, Singular Passion
This year’s shortlist reflected the extraordinary range of contemporary music writing – from Jazz Age invention to stadium anthems, radical punk to lyrical pop. Competing alongside Patti Smith were:
- Men of a Certain Age: My Encounters with Rock Royalty – Kate Mossman (White Rabbit)
- 168 Songs of Hatred and Failure: A History of Manic Street Preachers – Keith Cameron (White Rabbit)
- The Tremolo Diaries: Life on the Road and Other Diseases – Justin Currie (New Modern)
- Everything We Do is Music: How 20th-Century Classical Music Shaped Pop – Elizabeth Alker (Faber & Faber)
- The Colonel and the King: Tom Parker, Elvis Presley and the Partnership that Rocked the World – Peter Guralnick (White Rabbit)
- John and Paul: A Love Story in Songs – Ian Leslie (Faber & Faber)
The distinguished judging panel for 2026 included Geoff Travis, Pete Wylie, Keith Allen, Josie Long, James Endeacott, and Eliza Carthy – a group representing the best intersections of artistry, comedy, writing and music culture.
A Legacy of Outstanding Winners
Since its foundation, the Penderyn Music Book Prize has honoured a remarkable roster of winners, including Will Hodgkinson (2025), Michael Cragg (2024), Bob Stanley (2023), Pete Paphides (2021), and Shirley Collins (2019) – writers and musicians whose work captures the soul and soundtrack of our times.
From Mark Lewisohn’s Beatles opus to Daniel Rachel’s account of British songwriting activism, the prize has celebrated the enduring power of music writing to move, inform and inspire.