Live and Unsigned is the UK’s biggest unsigned music competition for original artists and it’s open to all genres; rap, pop, RnB, rock or acoustic and so on. Each year the competition prize pool gets bigger and better as acts take to the stage and battle it out for equipment, festival slots, studio time and master classes.

The national competition is set to attract thousands of unsigned musicians when auditions begin in January 2012. The organisers have just announced a new main cash prize of £10,000 for the winning act to spend on their development and there are festival slots in Canada, Italy, Latvia and Dublin up for grabs for those who make it to the Grand Final at The O2, which is incorporated into London’s biggest indoor festival Live Fest. Acts on the bill last year included Tinchy Styder, Zane Lowe, Roll Deep and The Hoosiers. Judges set to join the panel in 2012 include Radio 1 DJ’s Annie Nightingale, Tom Deacon and Daniel P Carter, Kerrang’s Alex Baker and Happy Mondays star Bez.

All acts in the competition are auditioned live which is what makes Live and Unsigned so unique, there are no demos or submissions. Acts that make it through the audition stage will get to perform to industry judges, A&R associates and celebrity guests in some of the UK’s most prestigious venues.

There are a number of new audition venues on the Live and Unsigned circuit for 2012 including Dingwalls in Camden and Highlight in Watford. There will also be auditions at Huddersfield Town Hall and the Riverside Centre in the city of Derby, where last years’ winners The Trinity Band emerged from.

www.LiveandUnsigned.uk.com