Rising Devon country artist Josh Beer has been crowned the winner of The Long Road Festival’s 2026 Homegrown Talent Contest, earning a package of opportunities designed to help take the next step in his rapidly developing career.
Beer was announced as the winner on Sunday afternoon at The Hitching Post, following the live final of the competition at Stanford Hall. Hosted by singer-songwriter Janet Devlin, the contest brought together a shortlist of emerging artists to perform in front of an industry judging panel as part of The Long Road’s continuing commitment to supporting homegrown country and Americana talent.
The victory means Beer will return to The Long Road in 2027 for his own performance slot, while his prize package also includes a year’s membership of the Country Music Association, a performance at a Snakefarm Records label showcase and a PR consultation with global music agency WMA.
A rising name in UK country
Raised in Devon, Beer has been steadily building a following on the UK country circuit, combining a recognisably contemporary country sound with an increasingly confident live presence.
His recent momentum has included the breakout single “Sundown”, which helped bring thousands of new listeners to his music and accompanied a run of sold-out UK shows, followed by “Days Like These”. He has also been appearing on increasingly prominent live bills, including Country Vs Country alongside Florence Sommerville and Nashville artist Maggie Baugh. (westlandsyeovil.co.uk, countrymusic.co.uk)
Winning at The Long Road now gives Beer another significant platform at a time when opportunities for emerging British country artists are expanding rapidly.
The Homegrown Talent Contest was introduced at the festival in 2025 specifically to help identify and develop new talent. Its inaugural winner, Liam Price, went on to secure a performance at CMA Fest in Nashville as part of his prize and returned to The Long Road this weekend as a fully fledged member of the festival line-up.
The success of the competition forms part of a wider effort by The Long Road to put UK artists alongside established international names. Festival creative director Baylen Leonard has previously spoken about the importance of giving British talent opportunities to develop internationally, describing the depth of talent within the UK scene as something the festival wants to help propel onto a bigger stage.
For Josh Beer, Sunday’s victory could prove to be an important milestone on that journey. Twelve months after Liam Price took the inaugural title, Beer becomes the second artist to add his name to the Homegrown roll of honour — and will now have the opportunity to show The Long Road audience where that journey takes him when he returns in 2027.
