The second annual Recorded Artists Actors Performers (RAAP) | RTÉ Radio Breakthrough Bursary competition to support emerging musicians has been launched by Chrisy Moore and Ryan Sheridan along with judges Fiachna Ó Braonáin of Hothouse Flowers and RTÉ 2XM’s Jacqui Carroll

The RAAP | RTÉ Radio Breakthrough Bursary will see €24,500 in prize money awarded to the winners along with guaranteed air play on prime time radio across RTÉ’s four national FM stations: RTÉ Radio 1, RTÉ 2fm, RTÉ lyric fm and RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta.

The RAAP | RTÉ Breakthrough Bursary competition is divided into four categories which aim to encompass all musical genres and ensure that musicians of every discipline are in with a chance of winning. The winners of each category will receive a €5,000 bursary to go towards furthering their musical career and guaranteed air play on one of RTÉ Radio’s four FM stations. Nine runner-up prizes of €500 will also be awarded. 

Submissions will be judged by an extensive panel of some of the most highly respected figures working in the music industry today: Mary Black, Fiachna Ó Braonáin, Niall Byrne, Ciarán Tourish, Richie Buckley, Priscilla Kotey, Paul Walsh, Cormac Battle, Jenny Huston, Rick O’Shea, Cathal Murray, Jacqui Carroll, Liz Nolan, Neansaí Ní Choisdealbha, Seán Ó hÉanaigh, Gerry O’Connor, Eamonn Lenihan, Niall Carroll, Liz Nolan, Celia Donoghue and Gail Henry.

A shortlist of each category will be released on Thursday 14 September with the ultimate winners being announced at a special RAAP | RTÉ Radio Breakthrough Bursary gala concert on Thursday 20 September. The gala concert, which will feature live performances fom all shortlisted finalists, will be broadcast live on the country’s most-listened-to radio station, RTÉ Radio 1.

Last year’s winners of the inaugural RAAP | RTÉ Radio Breakthrough Bursary were The Fallen Drakes (Rock/Pop/Dance category); Sharon Carty (Classical/Jazz category); FullSet (Traditional Irish/Folk category); and Alice Jago (Country/Roots/Bluegrass category).

Musicians hoping to win the RAAP | RTÉ Radio Breakthrough Bursary will have until 4pm on Thursday 9 August to submit their entries via the online submission process on RTÉ’s dedicated Breakthrough Bursary webpage: rte.ie/breakthrough.

To join the conversation on Twitter use #BreakthroughBursary