British Council announces Young Creative Entrepreneur Awards 2009/10

The UK Young Creative Entrepreneur Awards (UKYCE), launched by the British Council in 2007 to complement its international awards for young creative entrepreneurs in emerging economies, recognise the importance of young creative entrepreneurs in the development of a competitive and sustainable creative economy.

The UK awards programme celebrates excellence and seeks to create wider understanding within the UK of the potential of emerging economies as centres for trade, collaboration, cooperation and cultural exchange.

Ben Bradshaw, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, said: "The creative industries are one of the UK's success stories and we are known worldwide for the strength of our creative talent. Therefore it's only right that we celebrate our young creative entrepreneurs and give them an opportunity to gain further experience and knowledge at an international level.

"The creative industries are worth £57.3 bn to our economy annually, and we need to do all we can to foster the emerging talent of the future to make sure this success continues to grow."

Previous winners of the awards include Clare Edwards (Gigbeth, Birmingham), Simeon Hartwig (Bantum, Nottingham), Emma Hayley (Self Made Hero, London), Teun Hilte (Content Republic, London) and Alex Lavery (Pitch & Sync, London).

Alex Lavery, who toured the music industry in Poland as the 2009 winner of the UK Young Music Entrepreneur award, said: “Participating in the awards led to my discovery of an exciting, emerging market which exceeded expectations. As well as great company, the other finalists were inspirational, running a diverse range of exciting and successful businesses, some of which I would like to work with in the future. It was an honour to be introduced to the British Council and its network. The UK and Polish teams have been kind, supportive and helpful but above all, amazing conductors for useful connections and opportunities.” 

The six finalists for each of the awards in 2009-10 will take part in a tour of their industry in one of this year’s market focus countries (China, India, Indonesia, Mexico and Turkey) where they will meet their peers, industry leaders and gain valuable insights in to how business is conducted internationally. It is a unique opportunity for finalists to gain an understanding of the cultural dynamics of working with an important emerging economy.

British Council Creative Economy Expert, Andrew Senior, said: “The awards allow us to identify exceptional young entrepreneurs working within the creative industries, who instinctively understand both creative talent and the market. The programme creates opportunities for them to look at new markets and to develop the international networks that will be the key to their future success. By working with them now we can ensure that more UK work is seen overseas, thereby ensuring better cultural relations across the world.”

For more about previous finalists and how to apply visit: www.creativeconomy.org.uk

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For further information please contact Eleanor Hutchins, British Council Press Office on 020 7389 4981 or email eleanor.hutchins@britishcouncil.org

Notes to Editors:

·     The British Council works in over 100 countries and territories worldwide to build intercultural understanding between the UK and other countries through the arts, education and training, science and technology, sport, and good governance. Our income in 2006/07 was £551m, of which grant-in-aid from the British government was £195m. For more information, please visit: www.britishcouncil.org

·     NESTA is the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts - a unique and independent body with a mission to make the UK more innovative. It invests in early-stage companies, informs and shapes policy, and delivers practical programmes that inspire others to solve the big challenges of the future.

·     For more information about the British Council’s Creative Economy programme, please visit: www.creativeconomy.org.uk