The final of the Winter Umbro Industries was held at Umbro’s design studio here in Manchester yesterday, and we’re delighted to announce that Upper Space Gallery and Fink On Theatre’s Crying In The Chapel have been chosen as the winners. The two projects, whittled down from over 80 entries and a final shortlist of four, will now receive the funding they need to bring their ideas to life – £7,200 for Upper Space and £3,500 for Crying In The Chapel.

So what will this money be used for? And how does it feel to win? We spoke to both winners before and after the announcement to get the inside story of their ideas.

Upper Space

Barney Francis of Upper Space Gallery is a previous Umbro Industries finalist, having been selected for the shortlist in the Autumn edition. Refining and refocusing their ideas this time around, Upper Space were looking to reopen their exhibition space showcasing the best street art from around the world. “Last time, we were maybe not as confident about the idea, but now we’re really excited about what we want to do,” Barney explained. “We’ve found a venue that’d be perfect for what we want to achieve, it’s going to be more accessible, and really orientated towards helping people to collaborate.

“Our submission last time was more of a one-off project, whereas this time it’s all about sustainability for a long-term exhibition space. We’ve got the infastructure and all the contacts in place, so we want to put them into action. We’re looking for funding for 12 months, plus we want to put on a special event to launch the new space and to celebrate our return to Manchester.”

Being involved in Umbro Industries on two occasions, Upper Space are well placed to see the impact it can have on Manchester’s creative community. “It’s amazing to see all these ideas coming together in one place,” he admitted. “It’s a bit strange to be going up against your friends, because we know so many other people that are applying for the Umbro Industries, but then everyone has been so lovely. It shows just how many ideas there are around Manchester.

“The effect that winning Umbro Industries would have on us would be massive. It’d give us the opportunity to get set up and be self-sufficient as a business. It’ll mean the constant worry we had before about raising money would be gone. We’ve got some cracking stuff that we get going straight away, so we can’t wait to get started.”

Speaking to Barney again after the winners were revealed, it was clear how much the decision meant to Upper Space. “We’re absolutely chuffed!” he said. “It hasn’t really sunk in yet, but I’m sure when it does we’ll realise just how big this is. It’s so nice to know that the support is there and the fact that the money is there is amazing. We’re going to give it our best shot, and make Upper Space as good as it can be. The pressure isn’t off now, it just means that the pressure is just about making the new gallery as good as it can be, and we can’t wait to get started.”

Crying In The Chapel

Submitted by local theatre production company Fink On, Crying On The Chapel is a play about the infamous Strangeways prison riots which took place twenty years ago. Fink On’s proposal was to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the events by staging the play at Contact Theatre, with the Umbro Industries funding allowing them to stage workshops around the performances and to offer free theatre tickets to young audiences.

“Crying In The Chapel is an inside account of the Strangeways prison riots, based on prison diaries from before and after the riots, and loads of other stuff, which helped us to paint a bigger picture,” explained Nick Clarke of Fink On Theatre. “We did two studio performances in 2000 to mark the tenth anniversary of the riots, but at the time we didn’t really have the resources at our disposal to do it justice. Now, we’ve been able to develop a lot of the ideas, we’ve been through the training and the script has been developed so it’s better now than its ever been before.”

Speaking after the winers were announced, Nick was appreciative not just for the money that Umbro Industries will provide, but the wider impact Umbro’s involvement could achieve. “This will make a massive difference to us,” he admitted. “Not just for the financial impact, which is massive – but for the status that being involved with a brand like Umbro will give us. It gives us a credibility with the young audience that we’re hoping to reach out to.

“We’ve applied to so many trusts and organisations, and Umbro are the first to really show an interest in this way. Hopefully having them on board will encourage other people to get involved as well. We’ve taken a bit leap of faith with this project ourselves, so for someone else to do it as well is terrific.”

It’s clear that both Crying In The Chapel and Upper Space are worthy winners, and we’re sure there’s plenty of other creative ideas around Manchester that could benefit from Umbro Industries. If you’ve got an idea that you think would work, then applications for the Spring Umbro Industries are open now. The deadline for the Spring section is April 7th, so head over to the website now to get your ideas in the running for the £10,000 prize

Slightly later than originally expected, Umbro can announce the four ideas that have made it through to the final of the Winter Umbro Industries competition. The people behind these four ideas will now present their ideas to a panel of industry experts this Sunday, February 21st, with the best ideas winning all or part of the £10,000 prize. It’s a huge opportunity for the ideas involved, with those successful on Sunday getting advice and mentoring from the panel as well as financial backing.

Here’s the ideas that have made it to the final, plus a quick look at what they’re hoping to do:

Papergirl Manchester

Bringing an idea that was born in Berlin to the UK for the first time, Papergirl is inspired by the iconic image of American paper boys delivering newspapers. Instead of papers however, Papergirl will be delivering works of art to random people, bringing art to the public in a highly unusual and exciting way. They aim to make this a regular event around Manchester, and also hope to stage an exhibition and a party.

DiscRebel Ltd

Digital downloads are a massive part of the creative industry, but DiscRebel is looking to bridge the gap between the digital and physical worlds through download cards. They’re aiming to provide a service to people such as musical artists, who could sell cards with pre-loaded digital download cards to fans at gigs – that’s just one of the ways that their service could help creative people get their ideas across.

Crying In The Chapel

Produced by Fink On Theatre, a Manchester-based production company, Crying In The Chapel is an original piece of theatre that tells the inside story of the Strangeways prison riots of 1990. If they’re successful at Umbro Industries, they’re hoping to perform the play at Contact Theatre to commemorate the twentieth anniverary of the events.

Upper Space Gallery – The Second Coming

Opened in 2008, Upper Space was a gallery dedicated to showcasing and nurturing the finest street art talent from both Manchester and around the world, until it was unfortunately forced to close later the same year. An unsuccessful finalist in the Autumn Umbro Industries, Upper Space have now returned, more determined and more focused, with a plan to reopen a gallery within Manchester’s Northern Quarter and re-establish themselves as one of the most popular creative spaces in the city.

We’re sure you’ll agree that all four finalists would be worthy winners, but it’s now up to the panel to decide who will get to spend that £10,000 on their ideas.

If you applied for Umbro Industries, but haven’t made it to the final, this isn’t the end of the road. Umbro Industries is an ongoing, long-term project, dedicated to helping Greater Manchester’s creative characters, and you’re welcome to take another look at your ideas and reapply for the Spring Umbro Industries. Entry for that round is open now, with the deadline for submissions falling on April 7th. Why not take a look at the proposals from our finalists for some tips on how to get your ideas noticed?

There’s plenty going on in the world of Umbro Industries at the moment, so we thought it’d be a good time to remind you of the competition that’s offering up to £10,000 to Manchester’s creatives. The most important thing you need to know is that entry to the Winter Umbro Industries closes at 5pm today. Yes, today! If you haven’t got your ideas sorted just yet though, don’t worry, as entry for the Spring competition will open almost instantly afterwards, and will remain open for around three months from then.

If you want to be included in the latest Umbro Industries however, you best get moving. Stuck for ideas? Take a look at a previous blog here, which details what the winners of the Autumn Umbro Industries  – Same Teens and Mind On Fire – thought of their experiences last time, and their plans for their share of the cash. Don’t think that it’s only music ideas that will impress the judges though. Any aspect of the creative industries can apply for the bursary, as long as your situated in and around Greater Manchester. After that, it’s simply the ideas that impress the panel of judges that will be asked to present their plans at a special Industries final in February.

If you want to keep up with the very latest news on Umbro Industries, you can now follow us on Twitter. We’ve also set up a Facebook page for Umbro Industries, so that people can chat about ideas, discuss collaborations and communicate about the whole project – you can check that out here and get talking! Umbro Industries is an ongoing project dedicated to helping creatives around Manchester, and we’re only just getting started…

Here’s a great video capturing the final day of the Autumn Umbro Industries event, in which the five shortlisted finalists pitched their ideas to the panel of judges, who then decided who they thought should receive the £10,000 bursary.

The Winter Umbro Industries is now open for submissions, where anyone in Greater Manchester with a creative idea can be in with a chance to win £10,000 to help make those ideas a reality. Check out the video to see what impressed the judges last time around, and then head over to the Umbro Industries website and upload your ideas – it could be the best decision you make in a long time…

The Winter installment of Umbro Industries opens for applicants today, offering creative types in Greater Manchester the opportunity to win up to £10,000 to fund a project or idea they’ve had. So if you’ve got a great plan for a gig, an exhibition, a club night or a special project, and all that’s missing is the funds to make it happen, this is the perfect opportunity to get the cash that will set the gears in motion.

All you have to do is head to the Umbro Industries website, where you can give a brief description of your idea and how much you’d need to get it off the ground. While you’re there, you can also vote for the other ideas that you like the best, and read up on the panel of creative and business innovators who’ll be voting for the eventual winners.

Entry to this round of Umbro Industries is open until January 28th, after which the panel will draw up a shortlist their favourite suggestions. These finalists will then present their ideas directly to the panel in order to persuade them that their ideas are the best. If you want some tips on what the judges are looking for, here’s what two of the panel had to say about the entrants and the eventual winners of the Autumn Umbro Industries.

Mike Pickering (former Hacienda DJ, now head of A&R at Sony BMG)

‘I thought the standard of entries was excellent, not just the shortlist but throughout the competition, so narrowing it down wasn’t that easy. In fact some of them, you feel like telling them to resubmit, as they’ll have a chance to be considered again.

With the two winners, there was a couple of reasons why they stood out. First of all, they’d both been doing it for a few years, and they’re all still passionate about what they’re doing. Mind On Fire have got a great website, and they’ve got a great idea to put new Manchester talent on the b-side to more established acts on their website, taking Manchester music to the rest of the world. They were also really passionate and really well thought out, and it was the same with Same Teens really. They’ve done it for a while, so it’s something that you know will work. They’ve got ties in Tokyo and Hamburg, so it’s already recognised on a global scale.

Umbro Industries can only be positive thing for Manchester’s creative community because even if it’s just a bit of money to a cause, it gives the people who are doing it a boost. When I was working my way up, if you get people recognising what you’re doing and offering a hand, it’s a big boost to your enthusiasm.’

Dave Rofe (manager of Doves and Cherry Ghost)

‘I must admit that when I first got asked to pick the best ideas, I thought it’d be quite easy.I thought there’d be about 10 or 15 to choose from, and that it’d be dead obvious who the winners would be. But I was amazed at both the amount of entries, and how well written they all were, so it was a really hard decision. On my shortlist I had to choose five because I couldn’t get it down to three.

I think this shows that Manchester’s creative community is probably as strong as it’s ever been. There’s always been a lot going on, but what’s happened in the past is that people have collaborated, whereas now I’m not sure whether that happens as much. So something like Umbro Industries is going to be good in bringing people together.

If I was going to offer any advise to any potential future entrant, I’d ask them to give us as much detail as possible, and to be realistic with what you ask for. Work out what you need in terms of money, and work on that basis. If you’ve got an idea, and you can represent it, visually, bring it along, so we can see what you want to do.’

Here’s a pair of interviews with the winners of the Autumn Umbro Industries competition, who both walked away with £5,000 to spend on their projects this weekend. We start with Ben, Joe and Lowell from south Manchester music collective Mind On Fire…

How did you think your pitch to the panel went?

‘We settled down once we got in there. About five minutes beforehand we started getting really nervous! But the panel were really friendly and welcome so that helped. We’ve all been up on stage as musicians and DJs, but it was a very different way of performing.’

What is Mind On Fire all about?

‘Mind On Fire is a collective of musicians and DJs, and we’ve been putting on not-for-profit events around Manchester for the last five years. At first it was just a way of getting gigs for everyone we knew. We did it all ourselves, from booking the sound guy to performing on stage. From a very early age we thought there was a lot of stuff that went under the radar, and we wanted to provide a platform for these artists to play. We put on all genres, it’s a real mixed back, with the emphasis on the local.’

What do you plan to spend the money on?

‘We want to develop the collective into a label, with a series of vinyl releases next year. We have a website where we can digitally release music, but the money will allow us to set up as a label that releases vinyl. The idea is to release six singles that feature an international, established artist on one side, and a local Manchester band on the b-side. We want the visual element to be really big, the artwork and the look of everything is also very important to us. It’s important that this is also a sustainable project for us, so we can keep on releasing records into the future.’

What do you think made you stand out?

‘We’ve done a lot of work with other groups already, and if we get the money, we’d like to think that we can bring a lot of other people into these ideas as well. We can involve a lot of different elements of Manchester’s creative community. There’s also the sustainability of the project; we’d like to continue it for years to come.’

What effect do you think Umbro Industries will have on Manchester’s creative community?

‘It can only be a good thing really. It’s highlighted how many creative people there are in Manchester, and it’ll hopefully provide a platform for collaboration as well. A lot of people here do things with their own money, so if Umbro can provide a bit of money to allow them to take these ideas further, that’d be great. It’ll open doors for people to bring out those big ideas that they’ve maybe had shut away in the cupboard for a while. It’s offering the resources to make these ideas a reality.’

And here’s Hannah, Ryan and Jade from Same Teens…

How did you feel about pitching to the panel?

‘It was terrifying! It was one of the scariest things we’ve ever had to do. But all the people involved are established and well known for what they do, so they know what they’re talking about.’

What is Same Teens all about?

‘Same Teens is a collective of people who take the creative energy of young people here in Manchester and try to channel it into gigs, design, fashion and music. We all met at a party, and we were bored at being underage and unable to see all the bands that we loved. We set up a club night, and from there it’s progressed to include gigs, fanzines, all sorts. We’ve worked with Tim Burgess, the Mystery Jets and a ton of other bands; we put a night on at the Manchester International Festival and we’ve just been a part of In The City here in Manchester.’

Why did you decide to apply for Umbro Industries?

‘We thought it would be a really good opportunity to move things forward for us, and to expand into areas that we’ve previously been excluded from, because we’re currently funding everything out of our own pockets.’

What do you plan to spend the money on?

‘We’ll be able to print and distribute our fanzine for a whole year. And we’d also be able to get some studio space where all these creative individuals could hang out. Giving these young people space where they can work would be great. We’l also be able to carry on setting up gigs and events, but on a bigger scale than before.
The effect will be huge – it’ll really help to move us on to another level, it’s just a fantastic opportunity. For Manchester, with all the history in the city here that’s great, but for the younger people that are coming through, they need to have the opportunity to use their passion on something.’

Why do you think you stood out?

‘Because we’re all about giving other people a chance. We’ve been doing it because we love what we do, and also because we really want to help other people. Winning is brilliant not just for us, but for all the young people here in Manchester who are part of what we do.’

What effect do you think Umbro Industries could have in Manchester?

‘It’s an amazing opportunity that they’re giving people to further the work that they’re doing. It’s also good for bringing together all these different pockets of creativity around Manchester, and getting them communicating with each other. And obviously in the middle of a recession, it’s great that funding is being provided.’

Mind On Fire: Lowell, Joe and Ben

Same Teens: Jade, Ryan and Hannah

Yesterday, the first winners of the Umbro Industries bursary were announced: congratulations to Mind On Fire and Same Teens who both walked away with £5,000 of investment after the panel of judges decided they were both equally deserving of the prize. You can read more about the Autumn instalment of Umbro Industries at the site here, and we’ll have interviews with the winners, photos and videos of the event all appearing this week. Over at our Flickr stream, we’ve already got a selection of pictures from the event yesterday, featuring all the five finalists.

Entrants for the Winter Umbro Industries competition can upload their ideas to the site from next Monday, November 2, for the chance to win all or part of the next £10,000 prize.

After two months and 80 entries, the first Umbro Industries initiative comes to a climax this weekend, with the five shortlisted finalists pitching their ideas to our panel of creative and business innovators. Aiming to fuel creativity throughout Greater Manchester, Umbro Industries is a new idea that offers £10,000 of bursaries to the best ideas in art, music, fashion and culture every three months. We’re very excited to be able to reveal who has been chosen for the shortlist on this occasion, earning the opportunity to impress our judges and walk away with all or part of the money this weekend.

In no particular order, they are:

Upper Space Gallery

Previously making their mark on Manchester with a gallery in the Northern Quarter and a series of art events, graffiti and street art specialists Upper Space propose to take their work online with a web-based exhibition space and shop, combined with a series of one-off collaborations in the public realm.

True Manc. Stories

Fly-posting is an integral part of everyday life. For their idea, True Manc. Stories propose an exploration and exhibition of street posters, tracing their history and examining the particular role they’ve played here in Manchester from the 1970s to the present day.

Mind On Fire

A record label and musical collective, Mind On Fire have been supporting Manchester’s bands, DJs and producers for the past five years. To celebrate this anniversary, their proposal includes the release of a series of limited edition singles, a series of events to launch the releases, and an expansion of their online resources.

Same Teens

Born out of the frustration of being unable to get into age-restricted gigs, Same Teens have since grown to establish under-18 club nights and gigs across Manchester, staging events at Manchester International Festival and In The City in the process. Their proposal involves developing a website and print publication to expand the Same Teens idea even further.

Manchester Creative Co-Working Space

Aiming to bring together the city’s creative community, the Manchester Creative Co-Working Space would offer a meeting place for freelancers and independent agencies to come together. Working on the idea that a problem shared is a problem halved, the Space would offer resources, support and a creative atmosphere to help those looking for inspiration.

So, that’s the five ideas that have been shortlisted. On Sunday, they’ll pitch to the panel at our base in the Northern Quarter, and the winners will be decided on the day. Umbro Industries is an ongoing, long-term commitment to Manchester’s creative community, and the website will open again on November 2 for the next round of ideas. If you weren’t successful this time, or have been inspired to come up with something new, you can enter your ideas and be in with a chance of getting the support next time around.

As the closing date for the first ever Umbro Industries prize arrives tomorrow, October 10, we thought this would be an ideal time to remind people about the opportunity and to reveal a little bit more about how the project will work.

Umbro Industries is an initiative offering £10,000 bursaries to the best creative talent in Greater Manchester. The prize will be donated every three months, with the first Umbro Industries competition closing tomorrow. Anyone still wanting to enter can visit the website, where they can upload their ideas and explain a litle bit about why they think they should get the money.

From there, our experts – including DJ Mike Pickering, photographer Kevin Cummins and graphic designer Mark Farrow – will pick out the five best ideas for a shortlist over the next week. Those chosen will be informed on October 19, and will have just under a week to get their ideas in perfect shape.

That’s because, on October 25, they’ll be invited to pitch their ideas to our panel at Umbro’s Dale Street site in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. They’ll be given a Dragon’s Den-style grilling by the judges, with the person who impresses the most walking away with that £10,000 prize.

We’ll be there filming the whole thing, and we’ll get plenty of info up here on our blog and on our Facebook and Twitter sites.

On November 2, the website will then open up again for entries to the next Umbro Industries opportunity, so if you live in Greater Manchester but you’ve missed out this time, get your thinking caps on and be ready for the next chance!