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.

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.

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.

Professor Miles Richardson, Professor of Human Factors and Nature Connectedness at the University of Derby, said:“We need to fix our failing relationship with the rest of nature and research shows that a closer relationship with nature comes through tuning in with our senses, responding with our emotions, appreciating beauty, celebrating meaning and activating our compassion for the natural world.

“Unfortunately, nature means less and less in our lives and is disappearing as a reference in contemporary music. We need now, more than ever, a new and more connected relationship with nature and music to help remind people that nature is our story.”

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:

Chair: Professor Miles Richardson, Tune into Nature Prize Founder and Professor of Human Factors and Nature Connectedness, University of Derby

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, Yorkshire Sculpture Park

Sponsors:Wates Family Enterprise Trust and New River Books

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