Grantee portal 
Photo credits: Howy White Photography
The Community Foundation Tyne & Wear and Northumberland has announced Isabel Maria from Sunderland as the recipient of the prestigious Alan Hull Award 2024. You can see a video of her performing a track from her latest EP below.
The award of £1,000 is made annually to an emerging singer-songwriter or composer based in the North East in memory of Alan Hull, the Newcastle born songwriter and founder member of Lindisfarne, who died in 1995.
Responding to the news, Isabel said:
“Receiving this award is the hugest of honours, and I feel so lucky to be placed alongside so many incredible past winners. An award like this in honour of such an inspiring local figure is such a special achievement to me, and I really can’t wait to navigate this year with the generous help of the funding.”
Jo Cundall, Senior Advisor, Culture at the Community Foundation who oversees the award said:
“The Alan Hull Award shines a spotlight on the amazing musical talent we have in the North East. Choosing a winner is always a difficult process for the judging panel thanks to the quality of submissions.
“Isabel Maria was the eventual winner with the judges particularly impressed with how she was singing from her own experiences. This made them feel that she had that bit of Hully magic they are always looking for. Her songwriting belies her relatively young age”.
Remarkably, three of the last four winners of the Alan Hull Award have come through We Make Culture CIC’s Young Musicians Project. Based in Sunderland, the project enables young people (aged 13-19) the opportunity to come together on a weekly basis to begin writing their own songs, and to take their first steps toward performing, producing and recording their own work.
For more information about funding opportunities at the Community Foundation visit www.communityfoundation.org.uk/apply
A recording of Isabel Maria performing Flower: The Live Session from The Melodramatic Milers Club EP.
