Suntou Susso Earns Top Honor in ISC World Category

(headline image: Suntou Susso, courtesy of Suntou Susso)

Suntou Susso won first place in the World category at the International Songwriting Competition for “Yirolu Bala,” a composition that blends kora, chamber strings, and percussion. Susso, who lives in Nottingham, received the award as part of the competition’s latest winners announcement.

Second place went to Fakahany of Cairo for the song “Ween Yaba.” Meanwhile, third place went to Haitian songwriters Daniel Prophete, Kenny Paul, and Reginald Desravines for “Konekte.”

Suntou Susso is a Gambian kora master, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and composer. His work focuses on the kora, a 22-string harp-lute connected with the Mandinka jali (griot) tradition. Born into a lineage that stretches back more than 700 years, Susso continues the role of the jali as cultural historian, storyteller, and musical guide. Since the release of his debut album, Kanéfonyo (Never Give Up) in 2022, he has built an international profile through solo performances, collaborations, and projects that combine Mandinka traditions with jazz, funk, soul, and folk influences. His second album, Jaliya Silokang – The Path of a Griot, was released in 2025.

Susso has performed at major festivals and venues including Glastonbury Festival, WOMAD, Green Man Festival, and The O2 Arena, while also touring extensively across the UK and Europe. His collaborators include Youssou N’Dour, Vieux Farka Touré, Seckou Keita, and Sarah Jane Morris. In recent years, Susso earned recognition through the Global Music Awards, a shortlist placement for the German Record Critics’ Award, and honorary recognition from UNESCO Gambia for his contribution to cultural preservation.

The International Songwriting Competition recognizes songwriters across multiple genres and draws entries from artists around the world.

For the complete list of winners and streaming links to the selected songs, visit the International Songwriting Competition website.

Entries are now open for ISC 2026. For more information and to enter, go to songwritingcompetition.com.