Tiny Desk Contest On The Road 2026

NPR's Tiny Desk Contest returns in 2026 with a national tour, stopping in cities across the country for a concert featuring the Contest winner plus two local up-and-coming artists from each city.

This year's winner is Cure For Paranoia, the genre-bending project of Dallas-based rapper Cameron McCloud and friends. McCloud started Cure For Paranoia to share the therapeutic experience that "creating music with his people" offered him; a pre-school teacher by day, he posted a new rap every day on social media throughout all of 2025.

Opening acts for each city are to be announced.