The Times Breakthrough Nominations 2026
Up-and-coming talent across the arts shortlisted by The Times arts and culture team
Nancy Farino
Nancy Farino is a British actor and acclaimed writer. Her debut play, Fatherland, premiered at Hampstead Theatre to strong critical acclaim and sold-out audiences, establishing her as an exciting new voice in British theatre. A graduate of the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, she has built a career across stage and screen, appearing in productions including Anatomy of a Scandal (Netflix), Masters of the Air (Apple TV+), Silent Witness (BBC) and Amadeus (Sky).
Ben Nobuto
Ben Nobuto is an award-winning composer, pianist and producer whose genre-defying work combines classical, electronic and digital influences. A rising force in contemporary music, he has been commissioned by the BBC Proms and won both Ivors Classical and Royal Philharmonic Society Awards. Widely recognised as one of the most exciting voices of his generation, he continues to push the boundaries of contemporary composition through music that is imaginative, accessible and distinctly of the digital age.
Harry Shukman
Harry Shukman is a British investigative journalist, researcher and author whose work focuses on extremism, politics and threats to democracy. Shukman gained widespread recognition for spending more than a year undercover infiltrating far-right organisations in Britain, an investigation that formed the basis of his acclaimed debut book, Year of the Rat. The book offers a first-hand account of extremist networks and how radical ideologies are normalised in contemporary Britain. It was shortlisted for, and subsequently won, the prestigious Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award.
