LONDON, Nov. 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The world’s music industry came together to celebrate eleven groundbreaking artists being honoured as this year’s winners of the Aga Khan Music Awards in a ceremony on Saturday night at the Southbank Centre, London.
The winners – from Morocco, Bahrain, Türkiye, Iran, Lebanon, India, Mali, Palestine, Greece, Pakistan and Senegal – represent a wide range of musical heritages and their evolutions, exceptional contributions to the wellbeing of communities, and, in some cases, the last remaining master musicians of their traditions.
Among this year’s laureates are the legendary khyal maestro Ustad Naseeruddin Saami and distinguished qawwals the Warsi Brothers, who both trace their heritage to Amir Khusrau – the esteemed Sufi poet, musician, and visionary polymath who profoundly shaped the cultural history of South Asia; Bahrain’s Qalali Folk Band, which has been preserving the cultural memory of the nation’s pearl divers for over 100 years; Palestinian oud player and vocalist Kamilya Jubran, a trailblazer in contemporary Arabic music; and Iranian composer Sabha Aminikia, founder of the Flying Carpet Festival, which brings moments of joy to children living in conflict zones.
The laureates, selected by an independent seven-member jury from a pool of over 400 nominees, share a prize fund of $500,000. The Awards ceremony headlined a four-day festival celebrating music from the Great East, and marked the first time the Aga Khan Music Awards have taken place in the United Kingdom.
His Highness the Aga Khan said:
“I am honoured to carry forward a vision deeply rooted in my father’s belief in the power of music to bridge cultures and uplift the human spirit. The Aga Khan Music Awards reflect values that lie at the heart of the Aga Khan Development Network: pluralism, intercultural dialogue and the spiritual connection that communities around the world find in music. In many of the regions we serve, music is an integral part of daily life, woven into the rhythms of prayer, celebration, memory and identity. We continue to support artists and traditions that speak not only to heritage, but also to hope.”
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