Ultra Naté, Sara Landry, Tokimonta, John Summit & More: Six Best Moments From the 2026 Femmy Awards After winning the 2025 Femmy for artist of the year, hard techno producer Sara Landry was back to present the same award to longstanding and much-beloved indie-dance leader Tokimonsta. “The most important artists of our time don’t just make music, they craft immersive worlds,” Landry said while presenting the award. The schedule of parties, panels and mixers during Miami Music Week is certifiably bananas, but in its second year, the Femmy Awards proved to be a can’t miss moment on the packed schedule, with a laundry list of artists and dance industry execs congregating for the event. The 2026 Femmy Awards happened on March 26 at Palm Tree Club, with this bayside location and truly perfect weather elevating the experience. Honoring women artists and executives in dance music, the Femmys are produced by Femme House, the nonprofit organization is focused on creating a more equitable and inclusive music industry.Femme House was founded by LP Giobbi and Hermixalot, an esteemed pair who served as emcees for the ceremony. Presenters and honorees included key artists and executives, with techno leader Sara Landry even moving her keynote speech at Winter Music Conference to be in attendance. Winners included Aluna Francis for culture shifter of the year, Sophia Kearney for agent of the year,‘s Megan Venzin for best music journalist, Ultra Records’ Bina Fronda winning the first ever Theresa Velasquez award for outstanding executive and French producer Emjie receiving the award for rising star. The Femmys happened amid a flurry of Femme House x Miami Music Week events that also included a panel discussion about sustainable career-building, challenging industry norms and creating greater inclusivity. This panel featured LP Giobbi, pioneering German artist Anja Schneider, The Circuit Group’s global president of live Alicia Karlin, Backline’s executive director Hilary Gleason, Spotify’s Lisa Ritchey and artists Suzi Analouge and Emjie. This panel was followed by Femme House Changemakers Dinner hosted at the recently opened Mary Lou’s inside the W South Beach. Artist MajestyofDivinity, the winner of Femme House and Insomniac’s Discovery Project contest, attended this dinner and also performed at Femme House’s women in dance brunch and at the Femmys as the awards’ official DJ. Her music was among the many highlights of the packed and joyful ceremony, with the event frequently bringing the crowd both to laughter and to tears. These were six of the best moments.After winning the 2025 Femmy for artist of the year, hard techno producer Sara Landry was back to present the same award to longstanding and much-beloved indie-dance leader“The most important artists of our time don’t just make music, they craft immersive worlds,” Landry said while presenting the award. “That is Tokimonsta’s superpower… Your 15-year career is proof that trusting oneself and staying curious aren’t just the secrets to success, but necessary for creating space and creating a sonic fingerprint that resonates. “Your journey even in just the last year reads like a highlight reel,” Landry continued. “Beatport artist of the month, EDC Las Vegas, Ultra Music Festival, a critically acclaimed album and accompanying tour, and that’s just a scratch on the surface. You also were a part of our Blood Oath on last year, and you blew my f–king mind girl, and you surprised the shit out of me, and we had an amazing time. Though your triumphs are well documented, hard-earned and well-deserved, what makes you truly inspiring is your commitment to inspiring us to dream and the way you champion other creatives with Young Art Records, and the reminder that being uniquely yourself is the foundation to longevity and creativity. So thank you for the amazing art you shared with us this year, thank you for your vision, thank you for taking risks, thank you for being your most bad self and thank you for being someone we all love so much.” Tokimonsta then came to the fore to accept the award, smiling at the crowd as she received a huge round of applause. Mary Droppinz Accepts the Carolyn Horn Trailblazer Award: ‘Unapologetic Radical Self-Expression Through Music’LP Giobbi presented this new award by first sharing its backstory, with the prize named for Carolyn Horn, who was LP’s piano teacher from childhood through high school and who passed away in 2023. “The mirror Carolyn held up to me was one of my favorite ones,” LP told the audience. “In her eyes I was joy, I was infinite love, I was completely unstoppable. The older I get, the more I realize how rare and how lucky I was to be seen with that kind of belief that early on.” LP went on to say that when Horn was 50, she want back to school to study electronic music at the University of Oregon, entering a program where she was the only woman, and the only person over the age of 21. “Looking back I can see how deeply that shaped me,” LP said. “If Carolyn were still alive, she would’ve loved this room.” LP then called award recipient Mary Droppinz to the stage, calling out the bass producer’s style, persistence, fearlessness and commitment to joy and connection through music as some of the reasons she won. In turn, Droppinz acknowledged LP in her acceptance speech, saying that “You didn’t just support me, but you were one of the first people to give me a chance in this industry… From the beginning we aligned on something deep, and it’s about energy and sisterhood. This is about spreading love through music, and that has stayed with me ever since.” She also dedicated her award “To the artist community, it is really everything, and to my parents. Being from Nebraska, when I first told them I was going to be a DJ, they were worried, and now seeing them at Red Rocks with their hands in the air dancing their a–es off proud of me, you can’t put a price on that… This award inspires me to continue pushing forward as a woman in electronic dance music, bringing unapologetic radical self-expression through music, style, dance, joy, acceptance and connection through all communities across the globe.”Val Fleury Accepts Community Member Of the Year Award: ‘Just Do It Your F–king Way’ Honoring a Femme House community member who passion and engagement embodied the Femme House mission, the community member of the year award went to producer Val Fleury, who gave an emotional speech about her family leaving their native Liberia for the United States as refugees when she was a child. “I can remember so many days and nights in front of the radio recording songs and making mixtapes for my family, my new friends, my classmates, my community, just to see them joyous and dancing together,” Fleury said in her acceptance speech. “Standing here now, I’m reminded that our story didn’t end there with that little refugee girl, it grew into something bigger shaped by resilience, by grace and by the people who lifted us along the way. “I’m deeply, deeply grateful for my community, for everyone who supported me, even those who didn’t, because all of it pushed me forward,” she continued. “I didn’t grow up seeing anyone do anything remotely close to what I do. In fact, I was told it’s absolutely not possible for someone like . But I didn’t listen, and many of us in this room right now damn sure didn’t listen, and that’s why we’re here today. So to anyone who is listening to this and who feels afraid of being first or the only, it’s okay. Representation matters, and we stand on the shoulders of giants, and we have this responsibility to not only push ourselves forward, but everyone that you know, everyone in this community. So be scared, but do it anyway, and just do it your f–king way.”Image Credit: Rachel Kupfer This year’s Pioneer Award went to German DJ, producer, radio broadcaster and label owner Anja Schneider. While introducing her, Hermixalot said that Schneider “embodies the spirt of connection that dance music is forever tied to. She is the personification of empathy, unity and courage. She is the personification of Femme House, and the definition of a pioneer.” Accepting the award, Schneider told the crowd that “I feel extremely honored and also a little bit overwhelmed to get this prize. It feels a bit surreal to be recognized for something you’ve done the last 30 years. But I can tell you, I didn’t lose my love, my passion or my curiosity. I first stepped into the legendary Tresor club in Berlin in 1993, and it feels somehow great to be part of this culture, to be part of this scene, which is actually really great when I’m here and looking at these amazing female artists and all the females that work in this industry… Thank you very much. I know we’ve achieved quite a lot, but we’re still not there. There’s still a long way to go, and I’m willing to go this way with you.”Image Credit: Rachel Kupfer Honoring the singers whose voices have defined house music, this year’s Voice of House award when to genre queen Ultra Naté, whose hits including “Free” have helped define the genre. The award was presented by its 2025 recipients Crystal Waters and Barbara Tucker, with Naté using her speech to urge the women in the audience to not only focus on their artistry, but their business. “Not only is it about your self empowerment and believing in what you’re putting out there and being fearless and curious and experimental, but it’s also about the team and support system you build around you,” the singer urged. “At the end of the day, when the creativity stops, the business begins, and a lot of times as young artists, we’re so caught up in the magic of the moment and being creative and doing it for the love. “That should be job one,” she continued, “but we’ve got to take care of our business also. Because listen, if it doesn’t hit, it doesn’t matter — but if it does hit, everything matters, and everyone gets convenient amnesia. Real talk. So make sure you’ve got management and a team that loves you and respects you and understands you as an artist and creative — but always make sure your business is taken care of. Make sure you’ve got an entertainment attorney in your back pocket looking over those agreements people are putting out. Make sure you’ve got an entertainment accountant to count your money and keep track of what’s going on. Make sure your business is handled, my sisters.”