Glastonbury Festival launches Emerging Talent Competition for 2025
21 January 2025, 15:00
Festival organisers have announced the details of the competition, which recognises promising talent and awards them with a cash prize and a chance to perform at Worthy farm year.
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Glastonbury Festival has announced the details of their 2025 Emerging Talent Competition.
The competition, which which is supported by PRS for Music and PRS Foundation - offers new UK and Irish acts the chance to earn a slot at one of the main stages at the festival this year.
The winners of the competition, which is free to enter, will also be awarded a £5000 Talent Development prize from PRS Foundation to help take their performing and songwriting to the next level.
A cash prize of £2,500 will also be awarded from PRS Foundation to two runners up in the competition.
Acts from any musical genre can enter the competition for one week only via the form at glastonburyfestivals.co.uk from Monday 27th January at 9am to Monday 3d February at 5pm.
A panel of 30 of the UK’s best music writers will help compile a longlist of 90 acts, which will then be narrowed down to a shortlist of eight artists by judges, including Glastonbury organisers Michael and Emily Eavis, before the live finals in Pilton decide the winning act.
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Emily Eavis said: “We know how hard it is for new acts to take their first steps towards a career in music - particularly with the challenges facing small venues in this country - so the Emerging Talent Competition is a hugely important part of Glastonbury's annual calendar. I can't wait to hear the entries from across all the musical genres. And it's free to enter, so you've nothing to lose!”
Crispin Hunt, President of the PRS Members' Council, said: “For more than 20 years the Emerging Talent Competition has discovered and nurtured new voices, created a global platform and offered musicians the opportunity to gain exposure in front of large audiences. Playing Glastonbury was one of the most amazing experiences of my career and I’d encourage all music creators to submit a song for a chance to perform at the world’s largest greenfield music and performing arts festival. With our charity arm, PRS Foundation, I’m proud that we continue to support artists and songwriters stepping up and into the live and festival scene.”
Becci Scotcher, Senior Grants & Programmes Manager at PRS Foundation said: “Each year the Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition sees applications from the huge array of talent that are at the beginnings of their music career and from all over the UK. In partnership with our friends at Glastonbury Festival and PRS for Music, this is a fantastic opportunity for the next generation of music creators to not only win the coveted prize of performing at the legendary Glastonbury Festival but to also receive vital PRS Foundation funding support to develop their careers. This partnership has seen the winners and runners up go on to tour all over the UK and overseas, feature on legendary shows such as Later… with Jools Holland, and even win the Mercury Prize. In what will be PRS Foundation’s 25th year, we are very much looking forward to seeing which talented artists apply this year.”
Last year's winner of the Emerging Talent Competitionsaw Jamaican Irish rapper JayaHadADream take home the cash prize, while other finalists of the competition have included 2024 Mercury Prize winning band English Teacher, rapper Flohio, Izzy Bizu and Declan McKenna.
