It is no secret that Bermuda has a wealth of talent and an abundance of stories to be told through many different mediums.

For the past seven years The Chewstick Foundation (Registered Charity No 857) has honoured and recognised some of these storytellers through the Mary Prince Award, an annual

cash prize given to aspiring creatives that wish to further their growth in a creative field.

It was named in honour of a Bermuda African slave girl who won her freedom through documenting her story and fighting for her liberty in court in the UK in 1831.

She was selected to be the patron of this Award because she used her talents and story to free herself, a fitting metaphor for recipients of this prestigious Award.

The Chewstick Foundation awarded the first Mary Prince Award in 2011, to one of Bermuda’s most talented emerging artists, Aden Peets, and one has been awarded annually ever since.

Last year The Chewstick Foundation introduced the Lance Hayward Award for Excellence, presented to a person who has been an enduring presence in the creative field and has also demonstrated an interest and capacity for aiding the next generation in achieving excellence.

Lance Hayward was a Bermuda-born, classically-trained pianist and a self-taught jazz musician whose talents were known in Bermuda, New York and Jamaica as he built a legacy that endures to this day.

The LHA’s first recipient was composer, pianist, songwriter, teacher and pastor John Woolridge, who has inspired Bermudian emerging musicians for over 30 years.

PRS for Music are this year generously supporting both of these awards.

Historically, these awards have been presented as part of Chewstick’s Annual Anniversary Celebrations in January, but as Chewstick re-emerges and sets forth in a new direction, a presentation in Heritage Month was more fitting; both these awards are named for iconic people with a lasting influence to Bermuda’s Heritage.

The 2018 Mary Prince Awards will take place on Sunday, May 20, at The Landfall Restaurant, to recognise both the PRS for Music Mary Prince Award 2018 and the PRS for Music Lance Hayward Award 2018 recipients.

Jackie Church, Head of International Licensing at PRS for Music, said: “PRS for Music are delighted to be supporting The Mary Prince Awards in 2018.

“We are proud to be involved in recognising the great creative talents in Bermuda, many of whom are our own members, writing and creating world class music.”