 | | ABOUT THE AWARD | | |  2003 winner
Jarlath Henderson
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Part of BBC Radio 2's commitment to nurturing new talent, the Young Folk Award is an annual search for the best budding folk musicians in the UK. The event is open to anyone aged between fifteen and twenty, performing as a band, duo or soloist and performing traditional and acoustic music with roots in any culture.
The event is organised on behalf of Radio 2 by the northeast music charity Folkworks. Successful applicants take part in an exciting semi-final weekend, which provides a fantastic opportunity to meet other performers, attend workshops and enjoy informal music-making. Accommodation and food are provided free of charge and entrants' travel costs are subsidised. On the Saturday evening, a public audition concert takes place, from which the judges will select the finalists.
The final, compered by Mike Harding, is held in December and its highlights and winning performance are broadcast as part of Mike's regular Wednesday night radio show. The winner/s of the 2003 competition will secure a place at both the 2004 BBC Radio 2 Cambridge Folk Festival and Sidmouth International Folk Festival and will record a studio session for the Mike Harding Show. All finalists will feature on a promotional CD.
WINNERS
2003 Jarlath Henderson
A fine young uilleann piper from Dungannon, Northern Ireland, who was 17 when he won the award.
Hear his performance.
2002 - Uiscedwr
A young Manchester-based trio, Uiscedwr play fiddle, guitar and bodhran and aspire to create fast, new music with a traditional basis.
Visit their website.
2001 - GiveWay
Four sisters from Edinburgh who go by the name of GiveWay. They've established a reputation for performing spirited Scottish tunes, and line up as keyboards, violin, accordion and drums.
Visit their website.
2000 - The Black Cat Theory
They won the 2000 title as a duo with their jazz-tinged readings of traditional tunes for banjo and keyboards before blossoming into a punchy four-piece by adding bass and drums. Unfortunately they've since disbanded to pursue further education.
1999 - 422
With their line-up of whistle, violin, guitar and accordion, 422 won many fans at the event and went on to perform at festivals across Britain and Scandinavia. They have since recorded two acclaimed albums while guitarist Ian Stephenson returned to the finals in 2002 along with Sarah Hayes.
Visit their website.
1998 - Tim Van Eyken
Now a critically acclaimed accordion player and singer, Tim is an integral part of Waterson:Carthy and a recording artist in his own right.
Visit his website.
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Young Folk Award 2003
