Inam – my latest piece – was a finalist at Musica Nova, Czech Republic. It was great to be listed alongside Giles Gobeil and Marry Mary, but particular congratulations go to James Surgenor (a PhD candidate at The University of Sheffield) who received the first prize. It has been quite a special year for composers at Sheffield, with awards and mentions for a substantial number of students – James (PhD candidate), Alejandro Albornoz (PhD candidate), Dimitrios Saava (PhD candidate), Vanessa Sorce-Levesque (PhD candidate), Isaac Baggaley (recent MA graduate), Jonathan Higgins (recent MA graduate) all had successes in international competitions.