Reform’s Awards: 2021 Nominations and Wins

We have been blown away by the number of nominations and wins this year. From Podcasting to Projects, the awards have shone a light on Reform’s multiple departments.

Youth Music Awards 2021

The Youth Music Awards celebrates the most forward-thinking projects and individuals making, learning and earning in music. From artists and entrepreneurs to grassroots projects and young leaders, the event recognises an exciting range of trailblazers from across the scene.  

Reform Radio were nominated for 3 Youth Music awards; Outstanding Project Award, Outstanding Act Award & Live Performance Award. Scroll down to find out more about each category.

WINNER : OUTSTANDING PROJECT AWARD

The Outstanding Project award celebrates organisations that push the boundaries and promote inclusive music education. We had two projects nominated this year, Soundcamp and Rhythm Lab Records‘ Career Starter and we are very excited to say that we won in both categories.

A bit of background about the two projects. Soundcamp is a programme in partnership with Thirty Pound Gentleman and Youth Music, aiming to discover talent in Greater Manchester. The bootcamp aims to find 12 young people who have shown the potential of making a career in the music industries. They embark on a three-month intense mentorship with working musicians, to create their brand, new music and showcase at an industry event. Since the project began, they have collaborated with Mr Scruff, performed at We Out Here Festival and MIF Festival Square, and tracks have been broadcast on BBC.

Rhythm Lab Records is Reform Radio’s in-house record label, that was originally an Arts Council funded project which strived to explore the art of collaboration and foster new creative relationships. As part of the Career Starter project, Reform Radio handed over their record label to five young people for six months. Having a budget of £400 per artist for five artists that they sign to the label, the group have taken on the roles of A&R, Business Affairs, Talent Development and PR and Marketing. With 100% control of the social media platforms, signings, budget, and key decision making, this truly is a ground-breaking project, offering the young group a once in a lifetime opportunity that will propel them into the Manchester music industry.

WINNER : OUTSTANDING ACT AWARD

Snatching a win for the Outstanding Act Award was Bolton born rapper Superlative. Recognised as being one of the best young rappers in the UK scene right now, Superlative aka Corey Brown, has been making waves in the industry for a while now. We are very proud to say that Corey joined our first Soundcamp project in 2018, made it to the final 8 and has been absolutely unstoppable. In 2020, the rapper collaborated with Manchester legend Mr Scruff on Reform Radio’s Co-Lab Theory programme, and has featured on multiple major festival line ups such as Green Man and Castlegate.

RUNNER UP : LIVE PERFORMANCE AWARD

The Live Performance Award is allocated to an artist from a Youth Music project who has delivered an outstanding live performance. Nominated for this award was Soundcamp 20′ alumni Sarah Angel who has performed multiple times in Reform’s studios.

The quote from Sarah Angel’s nominator perfectly encapsulates her intoxicating stage presence – “You can feel her getting lost in the power and emotion of her own music, it is utterly compelling and truly beautiful. This sort of performance without an audience is tricky yet Sarah creates her own atmosphere, making you feel instantly like it’s a live experience. It’s a really amazing achievement and a real skill.”

Manchester Culture Awards

Showcasing Manchester’s best in culture, arts and creativity, the Manchester Culture Awards celebrates the city’s creative heroes. Among awards like Best Performance, Best Event and Young Creative of the Year, Reform have been nominated for the People’s Choice Award and the Promotion of Environmental Sustainability Award.

WINNER : PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD

Reform Radio have been recognised for helping young people across Manchester through 618 sessions covering employability, digital and creative skills. Another contributing factor to the nomination was Reform’s free wellbeing support for their projects’s participants and community of over 300 DJs. We were really thrilled to receive this award and are grateful to everyone who has been working with us.

WINNER : PROMOTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AWARD

Sustainability has become one of our key focuses here at Reform over the last 2 years. As an organisation and as individuals, we were able to use our passion and energy about climate change in ways that make meaningful, effective change. It means a lot to us that our work is being recognised by the Manchester community and beyond.

Audio Production Awards

WINNER : BEST NEW PODCAST PRODUCER

The APAs, organised by AudioUK, celebrates the craft and skills behind audio production. There are 21 categories in total spanning audiobooks, podcasting and radio.

Reform Radio’s very own Podcasting Manager Olivia Swift has been nominated for Best New Podcast Producer and ended up snatching the award.

This is another award to add to her books, as early on this year the Tough Talks podcast series Olivia produced won BestSex & Relationships Podcast at the British Podcast Awards.

Reform Radio wants to once again thank everyone that has been involved in these projects. These achievements wouldn’t have been accomplished without our amazing participants, staff, partners and funders. It is a blessing to be supported by so many people and organisations and we only want to share gratitude to those contributing to our journey, so thank you.