UB40 and the Royal Television Society (RTS) are once again joining forces and inviting videographers, filmmakers, content creators, and musicians from the UK’s Midlands to submit videos for a new award.

Submissions for the UB40 Music Video Award, introduced by the global reggae stars and the regional branch of the RTS last year, will be considered for the honour recognising standout art and production within the genre.

The accolade is part of RTS Midlands’ annual celebration, and reflects the global reggae stars' investment in the UK’s music and screen industries ecosystem - with the cost of 10 entries being generously covered by the acclaimed band.

The award - the first of its kind within the RTS national network - pays tribute to the rich history of music-related filmmaking across the East and West Midlands, with UB40 and Britain's leading educational charity for television and related media keen to see a diversity of screen creatives in the shortlist.

As a concept, the British music video celebrated 50 years last year, with the genre flying high across many formats, including television, online channels, social media and streaming platforms.

From The Specials’ ‘Ghost Town’, (Coventry, 1981) to UB40’s ‘Red Red Wine’ (Birmingham, 1983), to Jorja Smith’s ‘Blue Lights’ (Walsall , 2016), and Jaykae’s ‘Moscow’ (Birmingham, 2017) to Sleaford Mods’ ‘Nudge’ (Nottingham, 2023), the Midlands has been recognised as fertile ground for music video production over multiple decades.

Stourbridge production company Mockingbird Film Co won the inaugural UB40 Music Video award at the last glitzy RTS Midlands ceremony in December 2025 for their work on the official video for Joan Armtrading’s ‘I’m Not Moving’ single.

Compelling music videos have long been a part of the UB40 journey, with works over the band’s five decades establishing a distinctive visual identity rooted in reggae, working-class Britain and Birmingham.

From the band’s early releases ‘Food For Thought’, ‘King’, and ‘One in Ten’ which used documentary style footage depicting unemployment, poverty and racial inequality, to recent visuals for recent releases ‘Forever True’, ‘Home’ and ‘Gimme Some Kinda Sign’, the artform of the music video has long been respected by UB40 as a medium for their music.

Robin Campbell, founder member, vocalist and guitarist with UB40, said, “Music videos serve as a canvas for musicians, much like our songs have painted vivid stories over the years.

“We want to encourage artists to dig deep with their creativity and show off their abilities through the power of video.

“The Midlands is our home, and it seems fitting that we work with the RTS to shine a light on the talented musicians and videographers from our region.”

The RTS Midlands Awards are the biggest celebration of television talent outside of London, recognising outstanding work both on and off-screen.

Kully Khaila, chair of RTS Midlands, said: “The East and West Midlands are consistently recognised as a hotbed of screen industry talent.

“We see a high standard of visual content constantly being produced across multiple mediums including television, online channels, social media and streaming platforms regularly, and the music video is an important part of the ecosystem.

“RTS Midlands are thrilled to be continuing in our partnership with UB40 to support new and emerging music video creators, and we look forward to reviewing submissions ahead of our annual awards ceremony in December 2026.”

Entries for all categories, including the new Music Video Award, are now open. Criteria includes:
- The music video can be broadcast on any platform
- Each entry must be for one single only however bands/artists can submit more than one video Entries must be from or made for a Midlands based band/artist or made by a Midlands based production company

For full details and entry submissions, visit rts.org.uk