Peter Whittingham Jazz Award

The annual award of £4,000 is available for a creative jazz project. Over the past twenty years it has been awarded to many of today’s leading jazz musicians, providing crucial help at the start of their careers.

Who we can help

This award is open to emerging individual jazz musicians or groups showing talent and innovation. Previously funded projects have included jazz festivals, education workshops and creative website design.

The 2011 Peter Whittingham Award recipients were 3-piece Roller Trio. This young band have had a fantastic year with their debut album being nominated for the Barclaycard Mercury Prize as well as receiving a nomination for best jazz act at the 2012 MOBO awards.

How to apply

Application materials will be available in September 2013.

History of the Peter Whittingham Jazz Award

Peter Whittingham was an expert in survival medicine. He was a gifted pianist who particularly enjoyed the music of George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Stephen Sondheim, Leonard Bernstein, George Shearing, and Oscar Peterson. Peter died in 1987 and his family set up a trust in his memory, which has been administered by the Musicians Benevolent Fund since 1989. Peter's son Chris chaired the auditions until his death in 2012 but the Whittingham family’s connection with the award continues. Over the past twenty years, the award has established itself as one of the most prestigious in UK jazz with a roll call of leading jazz musicians to its name. Previous recipients include Scott Stroman, Errollyn Wallen, Dave O’Higgins, Soweto Kinch, Gwilym Simcock, Empirical and 2009 Mercury Prize nominees Led Bib.