The NOISE Charity was set up in 2004 by Denise Proctor, who founded the UK interactive design company PWP – creators of the world’s first interactive music CD-ROM with video. Her aim with NOISE was to find funding, sponsors and media partners to deliver a range of unique projects that would become the NOISE Festival.

Its founding principle is that creative reward and success should be based on raw original talent; not on your connections, where you live or what level of education you have. NOISE Festivals have supported over 18,000 emerging artists and between 2006-2012 achieved an international audience of 800 million, with partners that have included MTV, BBC, Microsoft and Yamaha.

Spanning over 14 creative categories, the festival showcases pure talent – regardless of background – as a counterweight to the unfair advantages enjoyed by those who benefit from the “right” postcode or the Bank Of Mum And Dad. A whole section of their website is devoted to success stories from the last ten years, spanning Illustration, Fashion, Moving Image, Graphic Design, Product, Fine Art, Photography, Architecture, New Media and Enterprise as well as – yes – Music. You can view these here. The submission process is free, simple and open for a further four weeks:

For musicians the 2014 festival is offering the chance to get your music “heard, recognised & loved by the best in the business”. This year’s music judges are Thris Tian: DJ and co-founder of Boiler Room TV, and Brian Eno, no less. After entries close on July 6th, the judges will pick the most deserving undiscovered talent – and their chosen artists will be put forward for the NOISE Festival 2014 showcase this Autumn.

This will consist of “exclusive events, exhibitions and media coverage”, offering “an incredible platform to get your music heard, recognised and loved.” In addition, Thris Tian will offer one-to-one mentorship for his top five choices, with access to his “little book of contacts in the industry to really help undiscovered music-types get off the ground”. You can hear him talking about his own background, and what he’ll be looking for in entries here.

NOISE have filmed interviews with Brian Eno and Thris Tian – view these on their YouTube channel. The full panel of 2014 curators rating work from across the creative arts includes Gerald Scarfe, Elaine Constantine, Giles Deacon, and Clive Barker. They’ve even got Nick Grimshaw in  to judge new architectural talent. (No don’t be silly, of course it’s not that Nick Grimshaw.)  You can see the full list at noisefestival.com

To enter, just register for a portfolio and then simply start uploading your music. Since the process is free and without strings attached, you have literally nothing to lose –  and a potential opportunity that could, in the festival’s own words, be “career-changing”.

Information supplied by NOISE press officer Joe Graham.
Information and sign-up links
Twitter: @NOISEfestival