Boggabri farmer and singer-songwriter Sam Snape hit all the right notes in the TMFM Discovered competition during the 2026 Tamworth Country Music Festival.
Tamworth commercial radio station TMFM 95.5, formerly 2TM, which has played a long-standing role in the Tamworth Country Music Festival since its early days, continues to support emerging artists through Discovered.
Sam said he decided to enter after seeing the competition last year’s festival and later meeting 2025 Discovered winner Cody Walker, who loved his experience.
“I applied and was lucky enough to make it into the final,” Sam said.
“Any opportunity like that, I try to have a crack at it.”
Performing in front of judges and a packed crowd, Sam said he treated the competition like any other show, although he had some nerves right before he stepped onto the stage.
“I felt like I had a bit of an advantage on the day because I had such a fan club there,” he said.
“My wife Kayla and our kids alone was a fan club, plus our extended families and they even had shirts made up.”
The six finalists were Sam, Olive Mae, Hazel and the Thief, Jess Coombes, Zac Weeks, and Ruby Holden.
Sam impressed a judging panel that included Andrew Farriss, Jayne Denham and Taylor Moss, and was crowned TMFM Discovered Winner 2026.
As part of his win, the Boggabri local took home a prize pack valued at more than $3,000, including the TMFM Discovered trophy, 12 months of airplay and interview opportunities, shopping vouchers, a publicity package and a Takamine acoustic electric guitar.
“I’ve been enjoying playing the Takamine guitar and I think it’s going to help me write more music,” Sam said.
“I want to release another handful of songs this year and have another fundraising event in Boggabri like I’ve done for the past two years.”
Ruby Holden received the Encouragement Award.
Sam said competitions like Discovered played an important role in helping emerging artists gain confidence, connect with new audiences and take the next steps in their careers and hoped other artists would consider entering next year.
“Opportunities like this help you get in front of people who might not have heard your music before,” he said.
“It’s a big boost, and it makes you want to keep going.”
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