If so, then get the break you’ve always dreamed of with the Sunday Herald’s ‘Big Talent Hunt’
Are you Scotland’s next big star?
ARE you a singer? Dancer? Juggler? Fire-breather? Sword-swallower? Burlesque queen? Knife- thrower? Magician? Graffiti artist? Are you destined for the big time but at the start of your career? Desperate to get exposure? Dreaming of your big break?
If so, then read on, because the Sunday Herald might just be about to make your dreams come true with our Big Talent Hunt.
We are looking for the best upand-coming stars in Scotland to provide bespoke entertainment at this year’s Sunday Herald Culture Awards.
Last year was the inaugural year of the Sunday Herald’s Culture Awards – and it was a star-studded event.
James McAvoy and Alan Cumming won Best Screen and Stage Actor respectively.
Outlander lead Sam Heughan and Games of Thrones villainess Kate Dickie were among the stars making an appearance on the red carpet. Synth-pop band Chvrches were the joint winners of the Judges’ Choice Award.
Piano player David Patrick won Best Musical Artist and graphic novelists John Chalmers and Sandra Marrs won Best Visual Artist. Prima ballerina Sophie Martin won Best Dance Performer and dancer/choreographer Jack Webb was named as the One To Watch.
Best Musical Group went to Scottish Opera, while Celtic Connections was named as the Cultural Event of the Year.
The Glad Café in Glasgow picked up the award for Best Performing Arts Venue. Jenni Fagan won Author of the Year, while Federation of the Disco Pimp won the Best Live Performance category. Culture secretary Fiona Hyslop was guest of honour.
This year, to make the event even better, we are looking for the stars of tomorrow to provide entertainment for the celebrities and VIPs who will be at the awards. We want anyone who thinks they have the talent to entertain the biggest stars in Scotland to send us a video showreel of them performing (see box on how to enter).
All the entries will be uploaded to the heraldscotland.com website. Readers will then vote for “the people’s choice” performer, and the Sunday Herald and Culture Awards staff and judges will pick the rest of the talent who will appear on the night.
There won’t be a fee – this is a competition – and the prize is the chance to get your big break in front of some of the most important people in the creative industries in Scotland.
Neil Mackay, Sunday Herald editor and chairman of the Sunday Herald Culture Awards judging panel, said: “I am almost as excited about our Big Talent Hunt as I am about the upcoming Culture Awards.
“Last year’s awards were brilliant. I didn’t speak to one guest who didn’t have an absolute ball. But this year, I want to make the awards bigger and better, so I want to search out Scotland’s hidden talent and showcase them at the awards as our bespoke entertainment on the big night.
“I am looking for singers, dancers, bands, magicians, circus acts, burlesque acts – even graffiti artists. Last year, we had artists doing on-the-spot artworks in front of the VIPs – so if you can do street art, apply as well and we will showcase you, too.
“All you need to do is email your showreel of you performing, with some background information about your act. If you are one of the lucky contestants we will contact you, and after we dot the i’s and cross the t’s, you will be lined up to entertain the nation’s biggest stars and most important movers and shakers in Scotland at this year’s Sunday Herald Culture Awards. Good luck!”
The Sunday Herald Culture Awards will take place on Thursday, July 13, at the SWG3 venue in Glasgow.