The Lucas Awards 2026 introduced a new category this year in the Cuban music video competition: the award for "Best AI Video," aimed at works that incorporate artificial intelligence either partially or completely in their creation. This new category was announced during the nominees' gala held at the Café Cantante of the National Theater of Cuba in Havana, and was reported by journalist Lied Lorain in OnCuba.
According to the coverage by OnCuba, it was the sheer volume of works received using this technology that prompted the decision: "The number of videos submitted that partially or completely incorporate artificial intelligence in audiovisual production encouraged the contest to also reward the Best AI Video."
Along with that novelty, the competition added a second new category: "Makeup and Hairdressing," which for the first time recognizes this craft within the production of music videos on the island.
In total, the 29th edition of the Premios Lucas includes 31 categories. The program received 342 clips this year, of which 251 were shortlisted and submitted for review by a jury of approximately a dozen specialists: non-competitive filmmakers, art critics, musicologists, experts in editing and visual effects, and cultural journalists.
The campaign for this edition is titled "1pá 30," and according to the organizers, it aims to highlight the persistence of Cuban filmmakers and artists in creating amidst the complex socioeconomic context of the country.
The music video with the highest presence among the nominees is "Aset," by the Franco-Cuban duo Ibeyi, with seven nominations: alternative fusion, acting —for Naomi Díaz—, art direction, cinematography, editing, direction, and video of the year.
With six nominations each, they are followed by "Habana" by Raúl Paz; "Delirando" by Vicente Trigo; "Son y go" by Rafa Tena along with Alain Pérez; and "Dándote tó" by Jarulay.
Also competing for the "Video of the Year" award are the clips "I Dream of Snakes" by X Alfonso and Silvio Rodríguez, and "Firefly" by Milo J and Silvio Rodríguez. The collaborations of the legendary troubadour in three music videos —also including "Leave Me in Peace," alongside Alejo Stivel— position him as the artist with the most nominations, with a total of ten nominations.
Among the directors, Felo leads the tally with 17 nominations across six videos, followed by Freddy Loons with 15 nominations in another six works.
Another new feature of this edition concerns the Popularity Award: for the first time, the public will vote from a closed list of ten nominated music videos—rather than being able to choose from all the submissions—through social media, SMS, and TransferMóvil. This measure aims to recognize the clips that topped the Lucasnómetro throughout the year, the weekly impact measure of the television program.
The inclusion of the award for "Best AI Video" makes the Lucas Awards the first Cuban competition for music videos to formally recognize the use of this technology, at a time when several musical projects from the island have started to circulate on digital platforms with images generated or processed using artificial intelligence tools.
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