Record-breaking TONO grant

– The scholarship pot this year is just under 9,8 million. This is an increase of two million from last year, and more than four million compared to 2011. The reason for the increase is that the scholarship is an important tool for helping to stimulate the creation of music and music lyrics. The board has therefore wanted to give the scholarship a size that it believes is more appropriate in the long term, says composer and chairman of the board of TONO, Ragnar Bjerkreim. The deadline for applying is April 15, and there are no restrictions on what you can apply for support for, as long as the application is related to the applicant's creative work. The most important criteria are TONO membership, and that you can show an average settlement paid out from TONO of NOK 5000 annually for the last three years. The number of scholarships awarded varies from year to year, and is usually about 250 to 350 composers and lyricists in various genres. In 2012, six people received 100,000 kroner, twenty-four received 50,000 kroner and 239 received 20,000 kroner. In addition to the ordinary TONO grant, composers and lyricists who are 21 years of age or younger and who have a management contract with TONO can apply for the “Young Talents” grant. This grant receives its funds from TONO’s group associations NOPA and NKF, and is awarded to young applicants. – Both TONO and the group associations would like to stimulate young people to create music. The Young Talents grant is a concrete measure to contribute to this. For example, if you want to succeed as an artist, it is crucial to have good, self-written material, explains Bjerkreim. TONO's scholarship committee this year consists of Synne Skouen (NKF), Kristin Asbjørnsen (NOPA), Marte Heggelund (Free space, not affiliated with a group association), Jan Stefan Bengtsson (NMFF), Bjørn Eidsvåg (NOPA) and Bjørn Bolstad Skjelbred (NKF). The latter is the replacement for Bjørn Andor Drage, who has announced his retirement.