What is the New Music Award?
“Forget the Mercury – now music’s got a Turner Prize”
Neil Spencer, The Observer
PRS for Music Foundation's New Music Award recognises and celebrates leading innovators in the UK. It provides investment, support and profile for exceptional and pioneering music creators. Allowing total creative freedom, the Award is open to absolutely anyone working in any genre and artistic context.
It is an opportunity for anyone to come up with a ground breaking idea for a new work, which, if chosen, will be given a £50,000 prize towards its creation and performance. A panel of 6 judges will select the most exciting idea from a shortlist, which will be awarded the prize in September 2010.
The award encourages creators to push the boundaries of their artistic practice, extending the possibilities of music regardless of which genre they work in. It also seeks to raise awareness of the UK’s most innovative music creators in the media and to help them secure the public profile they deserve alongside the UK’s better known creators working in visual arts and media.
The New Music Award not only provides an opportunity for a new work to leave a lasting impact on the country's cultural landscape, it will also provide a rare insight into the levels of musical creativity and ingenuity that exist across the entire nation.
The PRS for Music Foundation supports and stimulates new music year round in many different ways. The New Music Award is different. It's a one-off opportunity that champions pioneering new ideas and provides a significant level of money towards one challenging new musical work. Allowing total creative freedom, the Award is open to absolutely anyone working in any genre and artistic context.
What makes the New Music Award different?
- it’s the most recently established and financially significant music award in the UK – awarding more than the Turner and Mercury prizes (launched 2005, gives £50,000)
- the competition is open to anyone to realise a creative idea
- it supports the creation of one ambitious new work as opposed to existing work or achievements
- it’s more controversial than other music awards - it stimulates debate around music innovation and seeks entries from a broad range of creators
- it allows total creative freedom across any music genre or artistic context
- it enables the funder and creator to take risks by supporting and developing a concept which is realised in the year after the award is presented
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