A unique competition for young musicians and singer/songwriters whose work demonstrates a true connection with nature has been launched across the UK.

With a first prize of £500, the Tune Into Nature Music Prize is being led by a collaboration of recognised environment-loving organisations including the Nature Connectedness Research Group at the University of Derby, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, The Conservation Foundation, EarthPercent and Sounds Right.

The national competition is open to UK residents aged 18-30 and aims to encourage submissions of original music that celebrate the human-nature relationship and showcase the inclusion of sounds of the natural world. Organisers hope the submissions will highlight the need for a new, stronger relationship with nature whilst providing vital support for young creative talent.

As part of a research project in the lead-up to the competition launch, the University of Derby found that the connection between young people and nature dips during teenage years and takes more than a decade to recover. Research also shows that references to nature in contemporary music have decreased consistently since the 1950s. As close connections with nature are known to help with both personal well-being and caring for the planet, people who are more in tune with nature are more likely to respect and nurture it.

The winning entry will receive a professional remix by a renowned producer, with access to one of the world’s finest archives of nature field recordings from The Listening Planet. The winner will have the option of their track being released on NATURE’s profile across major streaming platforms as part of the Sounds Right initiative, benefiting from significant promotion and marketing, and featured on a special playlist to raise funds for nature restoration and protection. The BBC’s music networks will bring listeners details of the prize and the opportunity to hear extracts of some of the shortlisted tracks.

Judges for the prize include musicians and artists including Cosmo Sheldrake, Madame Gandhi, Andrew Fearn (Sleaford Mods), Jason Singh, Melissa Harrison and Sam Lee, and BBC presenters Sian Eleri and Elizabeth Alker.

The prize is open to UK residents, and those in the Channel Islands or Isle of Man, aged 18-30 and is supported by The Conservation Foundation and EarthPercent, the music industry’s climate foundation.

The track should not be longer than five minutes and be previously unreleased. The deadline for entries is 11.59 pm on Monday 6 January 2025.

Further details, full terms and conditions, and how to enter can be found at tuneintonaturemusicprize.info

The Tune Into Nature Music Prize 2024 Judging Panel:

• Professor Miles Richardson, Tune into Nature Prize Founder and Professor of Human Factors and Nature Connectedness, University of Derby (Chair)
• Melissa Harrison, Novelist and nature writer
• Andrew Fearn, Producer and Sleaford Mods
• Madame Gandhi, award-winning artist and activist
• Sam Lee, Mercury Prize-nominated musician and nature conservationist
• Cosmo Sheldrake, multi-instrumentalist musician, composer and producer
• Jinny Lyon, from The Listening Planet, the world’s largest private collection of nature sounds
• Jason Singh, sound artist, nature beatboxer, producer, DJ, performer and facilitator
• Sian Eleri, BBC Radio 1 and TV presenter
• Elizabeth Alker, BBC Radio 3 Presenter and Author
• Sarah Coulson, Senior Curator, Yorkshire Sculpture Park