Stortford Young Songwriters Competition: Entries for 2025 open and 2024 senior winner Mimi Broughton to perform at South Mill Arts with Eurovision star SuRie

Last year’s senior winner of the first ever Stortford Young Songwriters Competition (SYSC) is to debut her winning entry at South Mill Arts when she shares a stage with Eurovision star SuRie.

Herts and Essex High School student Mimi Broughton, now 16, won the Years 10-13 category for her song Unexpected Rhythm, which the panel of judges – including former Bishop’s Stortford schoolgirl SuRie – unanimously agreed was a superb piece of writing, calling it classy, intelligent and well constructed with a lush, memorable chorus.

Mimi will perform it at Retune Live, where 36-year-old singer-songwriter SuRie – who also went to Herts and Essex as well as St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School – is the headline act on Friday March 14. SuRie represented the UK at the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon performing the song Storm.

Mimi’s exciting news comes as SYSC launches its 2025 mission to uncover more young songwriting talent in the community.

The competition is open to all young people in Years 3 to 13 who live in and/or attend schools in Stortford and the surrounding area, including Sawbridgeworth, Stansted Mountfitchet, Saffron Walden and the villages.

You can enter as a solo artist, a band or a class year group. It’s split into three categories: Years 3-6, 7-9 and 10-13. Teacher support is permitted and encouraged in the primary school age group.

And don’t worry, this isn’t about who’s the best singer, piano or guitar player. The SYSC judges are on the lookout for potential and the best songs that really connect with people and tell a story or show real emotion.

All you have to do is get songwriting and register on the competition website at www.stortfordsongwriters.org. Once you’ve signed up, submit your entry by uploading an audio file of your song. Registration and entries are now open. The competition runs to Sunday June 15 and the winners will be announced before the end of the summer term.

This year, SuRie will be rejoined on the judging panel by community choir conductor Josie Cowley, of The Harmonaires, and up-and-coming young Stortford musician Georgia Newman. Jon Bliss, from the De Rosa Music Academy, joins the panel for the first time and completes the 2025 judging line-up.

De Rosa, which has branches in Water Lane in Stortford and in Saffron Walden, is offering a term’s scholarship to all three category winners, who will get the unique opportunity to deep-dive into the art of songwriting, guided by De Rosa’s team of professional tutors and musicians, and will also have an opportunity for their song to be recorded in a studio.

This year’s competition is sponsored by Bishop’s Stortford law firm Tees and is run in association with Bishop’s Stortford Choral Society. If your organisation is interested in sponsoring SYSC, please enquire at info@stortfordsongwriters.org.