Royston Folk Club Young Artist Competition 2017
£750 Of Prizes Plus Opportunities
Over the past five years, Royston Folk Club has grown into one of the most welcoming and eclectic venues for acoustic music in the country. We want that music to continue - which is why we're pleased to announce the 2017 Young Artists Competition.
This wonderful opportunity is supported by online publication Fatea Magazine as it represents Fatea's core values of providing real opportunities to younger artists making their early steps into the world of professional music.
First prize is £500 (which could be spent on mentored studio time) plus a paid support slot at the club during 2018.
Second prize is £250, sponsored by Royston Creative Arts, plus a paid support slot during 2018.
In addition both winning and second place artists will be offered a slot on the download series The Fatea Showcase Sessions, bringing with it associated airplay and an opportunity to reach a wide and diverse audience.
Entry is open to instrumentalists or performing songwriters aged between 18 and 26. They may perform solo, in a duo, and in a trio.
The competition will run at our regular monthly Showcase sessions from April to November, with two Young Artists featured at each session.
Each contestant will be asked to perform two songs of their choosing - originals or covers.
The judging will be carried out in secret by a panel of judges of mixed ages - some club regulars and some well-known performers on the local acoustic circuit.
A running review of the contest will be maintained in the Royston Folk Club Facebook Group, but no marks or winners will be revealed.
The overall winner and runner-up will be announced following the December Showcase. Both will be invited back to our December session to receive their prizes.
Royston is genre-neutral. We're called a 'folk' club but we really like every kind of music.
Contestants will be judged against four criteria:
A - Songwriting, or choice of song
B - Performance skills (voice, instrument, gymnastics, crochet - whatever you do)
C - Personality / charisma
D - Selling the song
To enter, contact Mark Gamon on markgsongs@gmail.com. Please include links to recordings or video if you have them, but don't worry about quality. These are mainly just to help us decide where to slot you in. Tell us your name, age, rough musical style, and which of the following Showcase dates you prefer:
Friday 14 July
Friday 11 August
Friday 8 September
Friday 13 October
Friday 10 November
Hurry, because spaces are limited.
Fatea Showcase Sessions
The Fatea Showcase Sessions are a series of downloads featuring acts that we've really enjoyed and think that more people should get the chance to hear.
Corsair is the current session and features 16 fantastic artists check out the website to find out more about them and download your copy
www.fatea-showcase-sessions.co.uk for all the artist information.