Tamara Flores wins the 2026 XA Export Award after a unanimous Waves Vienna decision

Tamara Flores has won the 2026 XA Export Award following her performance at Waves Vienna. The decision was announced after the festival's final night on 3 October, when an international jury of promoters, bookers, label managers and journalists selected the strongest live performance among six Austrian nominees. FM4 reports that the vote for Flores was unanimous. The award combines recognition with practical support. Austrian Music Export says Flores will receive €4,500 from SKE/AUME, career development from Austrian Music Export, FM4 and Waves Vienna, and €5,000 in tour support from Austria's federal culture ministry. That makes the result more than a festival trophy: it gives a Vienna-based artist resources and industry access intended to support work outside Austria over the next year. Flores works across singing, flute and dance, joining classical training with Latin American rhythms and Spanish-language songwriting. Her Waves performance arrived at a particularly visible moment. FM4 notes that the video for “Chingona”, directed by Rupert Höller and filmed with the local community in her mother's home village of Acatlán, Mexico, is nominated for Best Short Form Music Video at the Latin Grammys. The XA award therefore connects an Austrian showcase result with an international campaign already under way. The local significance also lies in how the prize is decided. The jury evaluates the nominated acts in performance rather than selecting from recordings alone. Waves Vienna lists Aki Traar, Ava Fina, Cute Aggression, Ivery and Peach Tinted alongside Flores in the 2026 shortlist. Choosing Flores after those club shows places live presence, stagecraft and the ability to communicate across musical traditions at the centre of the export decision. For Austria's electronic and hybrid scene, the result shows how local festival infrastructure can translate a strong performance into touring money, professional support and international visibility. Flores is not confined to a single genre, but her production, performance language and cross-cultural approach belong to the same porous field in which Vienna's electronic, pop and experimental scenes increasingly meet. SCENE:ID sees the award as a concrete test of export policy: the useful measure will be what the combined funding and partner support enables after the ceremony. The next points to watch are Flores's Latin Grammy campaign, the international dates developed with the tour grant, and how Waves Vienna's partners turn a unanimous jury decision into sustained career momentum.