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Rachel Walker Mason and Nina Sundstrom have won the Stiles + Drewe Best New Song Prize 2023.

Their winning song is ‘Drown Without Water’ from the musical The Circle.

The winners were revealed last night, 13 November 2023, at The Other Palace in London, in a concert hosted by The Stage Debut Award-winner Rob Madge.

The winning song was performed on the night by Renée Lamb (Six The Musical), and also present was the writer of the book for The Cirlce, Eloise Hodder.

The prize is £1,000, for the team to develop their work.

The annual prize, now in its 16th year, is produced by Mercury Musical Developments and recognises achievement in musical theatre songwriting, and celebrates the talents of composers and lyricists from around the UK.

The prize was established and is overseen by award-winning musicals duo George Stiles and Anthony Drewe (Mary Poppins, Identical, Honk!),

Also last night, an additional prize of £250 for awarded to Geraint Owen, for Voice, Vision & Potential, for his song ‘BIO’ from Queerway!

The winner was selected from 12 finalists, who in turn were picked from 177 submissions.

Last year’s winners were Flora Leo, who wrote “One Last Request” from her musical The Most Beautiful Suicide, performed by Chelsea Halfpenny.

This cast of this year’s event included Alex Young, Ben Morris, Caroline Sheen, Claire Moore, Hannah Lowther, Lewis Cornay, Lisa Davina Phillip, Renée Lamb, Rob Madge, Rumi Sutton, Sienna Aurora Clarke, William Barker and Zizi Strallen.

More about Rachel Walker Mason. More about Nina Sundstrom.

Stiles + Drewe Best New Song 2023 – Finalists

‘Ain’t That So’ from T-Room…The Musical by Rosabella Gregory & Dina Gregory
‘Before I Move On’ from Bricks by Michael Henry, Emma Dennis Edwards & Darren Clarke
‘Bio’ from Queerway by Geraint Owen
‘Drown Without Water’ from The Circle by Rachel Walker Mason & Nina Sundstrom – WINNER
‘Height Lines’ from The Boy Who Sailed the Ocean in an Armchair by Jordan Li-Smith, based on the novel by Lara Williamson
‘Henry’ from Undertaking Betty by Richy Hughes & Luke Bateman
‘In This Moment’ from Flip by Giles Fernando & Josh Bird
‘Stay’ from Stay by Jonathan O’Neill & Isaac Savage
‘Talent’ from In Clay by Rebecca Simmonds & Jack Miles
‘The Botanical Garden Gate’ from Game Theory by Rachel Bellman & Josh Bird
‘Time Slows Down’ from Black Holes Like Donuts by Sam Norman & Eliza Randall
‘Unstoppable’ from The Unstoppable Letty Pegg by Helen Arney & James Hughes

Links:
Mercury Musical Developments
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Main photo: Stiles + Drewe Best New Song Prize 2023 winners Rachel Walker Mason and Nina Sundstrom. Photo courtesy of Mercury Musical Developments

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