Mercury Musical Developments and Stiles + Drewe have unveiled the twelve finalists for the 2025 Stiles + Drewe Best New Song Prize. The selected songs will be performed in a celebratory concert at The Other Palace on Tuesday 25 November.
Chosen from over 230 submissions, the finalists represent the future of British musical theatre. Each song, penned by a member of Mercury Musical Developments, will be brought to life by a cast of acclaimed West End performers.
The prize, curated by celebrated composers George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, recognises excellence in original song-writing. A judging panel, including Stiles and Drewe themselves, will award £1000 to the winning entry to support further development of the musical.
This year’s concert is supported by Tarento Productions and Dorico. Mercury Musical Developments, founded in 1992, continues to champion new musical theatre writing across the UK.
Finalists:
- A Little Girl from The Fossil Finder by Ben Cahill-Nicholls
- And Begin from For All Time by Zach Burns & Oli Adcock
- Beyond The Break from Floaties by Michael Kooman & Christopher Dimond
- Fly from 73 Seconds by Jordan Li-Smith
- Nice Girls Never Win from VAMP by Sarah Middleton & Eleanor Isherwood
- Once a Year from Clockwork Christmas by Anton Mouzykantskii & Craig Adams
- Purple Striped Tiger from Spark! by J Edna Mae Thomas
- Reason and Love from The Debutantes by Sam Norman & Eliza Randall
- Steal My Heart from Dreamland by Michael Praed
- Sunbird from Immigration Crisis: The Musical by Tyler McKinnon, Chantelle Micallef Grimaud & Zoë Farrugia
- Time from Work Wife by Ashton Moore
- Yes I Confess from Clara at the Door with a Revolver by Ayanna Witter-Johnson
Casting and host details will be announced shortly. Tickets are available via The Other Palace website.
