Winners Announced for the Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year & Stiles + Drewe Prize

The Stephen Sondheim Society and Mercury Musical Developments today announce the winners of the Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year and Stiles + Drewe Prize. The winners were revealed at the 10th anniversary West End Gala held at the Novello Theatre which was hosted by star of stage and screen Julian Ovenden.

Courtney Bowman wins the Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year performing "Me and My Town" from Stephen Sondheim's musical Anyone Can Whistle and "The Driving Lesson" from the musical Heart of Winter written by Tim Connor. Bowman was selected out of 12 finalists who qualified from the UK's many musical theatre courses and has been awarded a £1,000 first prize. Eleanor Jackson is named runner-up for performances of "Sunday in the Park with George" from Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George and "More to Life" by James Burn.

In addition to this Tim Connor wins the Stiles + Drewe Prize for Best New Song for "Back To School" from Heart of Winter. This Prize recognises an outstanding song from a new musical, and the winner receives a prize of £1,000 to put towards developing their work.

This year also marked the expansion of the Stiles and Drewe Prize to include their inaugural Mentorship Award, supported by Music Theatre International (Europe). Darren Clark and Rhys Jennings win the Mentorship Award with the new musical The Wicker Husband. They will receive 12 months of mentorship and support, benefiting from monthly writers' labs, a one-week writing retreat, and two panel-led progress labs, with the year culminating in an industry showcase. Stiles and Drewe won the first Vivian Ellis Prize in 1985 for their musical Just So, which introduced them to the major heavyweights of the musical theatre world and made an enormous impact at the beginning of their careers. The MTI Stiles + Drewe Mentorship Award aims to give a similar kick-start to a new generation of musical theatre writing talent.

The winners were selected by a panel of judges including Don Black, Jason Carr, Anne Reid MBE, Thea Sharrock, Paul Hart, Lotte Wakeham and Sondheim Society Patron Julia McKenzie and Olivier Award-nominated actress Sophie-Louise Dann and the student performer judging panel was chaired by writer and broadcaster Edward Seckerson.

This annual gala is co-produced by The Stephen Sondhiem Society and Mercury Musical Developments and was this year directed by Chris Hocking, with musical direction by Mark Warman.

The Stephen Sondheim Society Chairman Craig Glenday said today "What a tremendous way to mark our 10th anniversary! Courtney totally understood the performance aspect of the competition and delivered both of her songs with great style. She received the loudest applause of the afternoon and is a deserving winner."

Executive Director of MMD Victoria Saxton said "The judges were faced with an incredibly difficult decision. However, Tim Connor's "Back to School" was the stand-out for its specific and witty lyrics that fully brought the character and situation to life, a skill that's hard for lyricists to master."