Genesis Prize

Genesis Prize

The Genesis Prize, launched by the Genesis Foundation in 2012, recognises an outstanding mentor of young artistic talent.

The £25,000 award was founded as part of the celebrations to mark the Genesis Foundation’s first ten years of nurturing and developing emerging talent in the UK. The Genesis Prize is unique in being the first and only such prize to recognise individuals who give others the confidence and inspiration to achieve artistic excellence in their chosen arts field and will assist the prize winners to further their work.

The Genesis Prize will be awarded every two years following a nomination process, with the final prize recipient decided by a selected panel of judges.

2012 Genesis Prize recipient

On Tuesday 27 March Hamish Dunbar was announced the inaugural winner of the Genesis Prize.

John Studzinski, Founder and Chairman of the Genesis Foundation said:

“The judging panel were impressed by all six finalists, but Hamish showed entrepreneurial courage in founding Café Oto and in a remarkably short time has designed an innovative space that has created a new audience for avant-garde music. His proven ability to bring different artists together, and the role he plays in forming creative relationships made him stand out from the other finalists. Transforming a disused warehouse into such a vibrant venue shows a degree of fearlessness that will stand him in good stead and make him a great mentor to musicians for many years to come. All the judges said that Café Oto was the venue that they wish to visit!”

Hamish Dunbar is using the award to further the activities of Café Oto, launching an Associated Artists Programme which will see him work closely with five of the UK’s most exciting emerging musicians, providing a platform for them to present new work, develop ideas and initiate collaborations.

In October 2012, Café Oto announced its Associated Artists:

Angharad Davies, a violinist dedicated to extending the sound possibilities of the instrument

Rie Nakajima, sound artist working across installation and performance

Tom James Scott, composer, instrumentalist and improviser

Guillaume Viltard, leading double bassist from London's improvised music scene

Alex Ward, composer/improviser and one of the UK's most unpredictable players

Hamish Dunbar said:

“It was always our aim for Café Oto to be more than a just venue. We wanted to create a home for a community of musicians to meet, collaborate, talk, listen and play in. In doing so we hoped to sustain an important culture and discourse around the music. The Associated Artists Programme is an extension of that aspiration. I am really pleased to be supporting five very different players who are all, in their different ways, making new and important music.”

Shortlisting for the Genesis Prize

Nominations for the inaugural Genesis Prize were gathered from leading figures in the arts and media.

The panel of judges comprising Elyse Dodgson (Associate Director, Head of International Development, Royal Court Theatre), David Lan (Artistic Director, Young Vic Theatre), David Pountney (Chief Executive and Artistic Director, Welsh National Opera), Sir Richard Rogers (Architect), John Studzinski (Founder and Chairman of the Genesis Foundation), Dame Janet Suzman (Actress and Director) and Dr Paul Thompson (Rector, Royal College of Art) shortlisted the nominees to six candidates who each gave a presentation to the panel.

In 2012, the Genesis Prize shortlisted candidates were:

• Marc Boothe: Founder and Managing Director of the arts and media Network, B3   Media
• Hamish Dunbar: Founder and Director of Café Oto, which presents experimental music and sound art in a Hackney warehouse
• Tom Morris: Artistic Director of the Bristol Old Vic theatre company
• Nadine Mortimer-Smith: Operatic soprano and Founder Director of Opera in Colour
• Joe Scotland: Director of Studio Voltaire, which provides affordable studios and an arts and education programme in Clapham
• Polly Staple: Director of the Chisenhale Gallery, a publically funded contemporary art gallery in Bow, East London