The Seed Award is an award offered to all shortlisted applicants for our In Motion programme. There is no separate application or selection process for the Seed Award.
The aim of the award is to move away from an all-or-nothing selection process, and to recognise that all applicants who reached the interview stage are composers we admire and would love to work with, but don’t have resources to support with the full programme. We hope to offer a small but impactful package of support that can help these composers to make one step forward in their development and put them in a better place to secure funding or other support for their development and creative ideas.
We reflect on and evaluate the Seed Award annually, the current offer is in line with internal and external feedback as we aim to make our work more impactful.
How does it work?
The Seed Award is a targeted package of support, including coaching sessions and a small bursary to support the research and development of a particular project or to enable artists to take the next step in their development.
There is no separate application or selection process for the Seed Award.
All applicants to In Motion are shortlisted by both an internal and external panel, and we invite 18 composers to interview. Of the composers interviewed, ten will be selected to join In Motion and eight will be offered the Seed Award. We announce Seed Award composers in Spring every year.
The Seed Award has previously included a small bursary, coaching, networking sessions, and strategic thinking sessions with a dedicated team member.
Previous winners
Between 2019 and 2022, the Seed Award was part of our legacy New Voices artist development programme and we now work with composers in this way as part of In Motion. Over this period, we have supported 46 composers with a Seed Award over this period and will continue to support composers in this way through the In Motion application process.
2022
2021
2020
See also
In Motion is our annual artist development programme for anyone aged 18 and over working with music and sound in the UK. It is artist-led and celebrates the curious and intrepid.
In the Making is our annual trailblazing artist development programme for young people aged 14-18 and it is the only programme of its type in the UK that supports young composers.
New Voices was an 18-month programme that ran from 2018 to 2023 and supported composers at pivotal stages of their careers to explore new ideas, new sounds and new music.
Find out more about New Voices and the composers we supported
Programme Structure
In Motion starts in May 2025 and lasts 18 months until November 2026. It is structured into two main phases: the Discovery Phase and the Activity Phase.
Discovery Phase (6 months)
You will be assigned a Creative Programme Leader who will support you throughout the programme. In Discovery Phase, you will focus on clarifying your goals, you will develop your creative ideas, and you will develop a realistic project plan and budget. You will:
- Receive part of your artist bursary
- Access up to 10% of the production budget to start developing or researching your ideas
- Attend induction and networking days with other In Motion composers
- Begin coaching sessions with an RD1st accredited coach
- Receive access to skills resources tailored to your needs
Activity Phase (12 months)
Once you have a clear action plan and budget for the creative project you want to develop and activity you want to undertake, you will move into Activity Phase. You will work to deliver your plan with the support of your Creative Programme Leader. During this phase, you will:
- Receive the remainder of your artist bursary
- Access the remaining production grant
- Continue coaching sessions and arrange mentoring
- Decide who you want to reach with your work, how, and why
- Develop and present your creative project
- Take part in our evaluation
Education component
During the programme, we will invite you to interact and work with composers on our on In the Making programme for composers aged 14-18. We will support you to develop any skills you need to work with young people depending on what activity is a good fit for your creative practice. No prior experience is needed. For example, you might:
- Run a workshop, presentation, or listening party at our annual In the Making residential
- Host an online workshop or group session for young composers
- Create a composition task or prompt for young composers to respond to and feedback on their work
- Develop a Minute of Listening collection
- Deliver workshops or activities with young people in your local community
Depending on the nature and scale of the activity, we will be able to compensate you further on a case-by-case basis, and we will arrange and pay for an Enhanced DBS check where appropriate. Any work with young people will be delivered in line with our Child Protection Policy.