A life-changing opportunity for new musicians is about to open as Glastonbury Festival's Emerging Talent Competition 2025 is launching today.

The competition offers aspiring artists the chance to perform on one of the festival's main stages and win a £5,000 Talent Development prize from PRS Foundation.

The 2024 winner, Jamaican-Irish rapper JayaHadADream, credited the competition with transforming her career. "Winning the Glastonbury competition changed my life in many ways," she said. Since her win, she has performed at Reading, Leeds, and Boomtown festivals and gained significant industry and media attention.

"It opened up so many opportunities. I've had a lot of industry and press interest and worked with artists I've grown up listening to," she added. Reflecting on her time at Glastonbury Festival, she said: "The actual experience of the festival was unlike anything I have ever been to. It makes me emotional thinking about it because it was inspiring, hopeful, and therapeutic."

Musicians from all genres are encouraged to enter the 2025 competition online. Entries will open at 09:00 GMT on 27 January and close at 17:00 GMT on 3 February.

A panel of 30 music writers will create a longlist of 90 acts, which will then be narrowed to a shortlist of eight by judges, including festival organisers Michael and Emily Eavis. The finalists will perform at a live event in Pilton, where the winning act will be decided.

Emily Eavis emphasised the importance of supporting emerging artists: "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."

For those looking to kick-start their music careers, the Emerging Talent Competition offers a unique platform to showcase their talent and potentially join the ranks of artists who have launched their careers on the world-famous Glastonbury stages.

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