BBC Radio 1 has launched a new scholarship named after their first female DJ and longest-serving presenter, Annie Nightingale.
The scholarship will be awarded to three individuals who are women or non-binary DJs, and "aims to celebrate and elevate talented women and non-binary people in the electronic music scene by providing them with a national platform to showcase their taste and expertise," according to BBC Radio 1.
The previous winners of the scholarship are DJ Martha, GODLANDS, and LCY. They will be performing on the station on the evening of Saturday, November 6th. The winners of this year's scholarship will receive a one-hour slot on BBC Radio 1 on a Saturday night.
"I was the first-ever female DJ on radio and am now the longest serving presenter of any gender," Nightingale said. "Ever since I began, I have wanted to help other young broadcasters passionate about music to achieve their dreams on airwaves, and now we at Radio 1 are to put that on a proper footing."
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Women and non-binary DJs have often not been credited properly or treated fairly within the music industry. Recently, Barbie launched a music producer doll to empower the next generation of female artists.
BBC Radio 1's station head, Aled Haydn Jones, expressed his excitement for the launch of the scholarship to provide opportunities to underrepresented people.
"It feels incredibly fitting to have a female dance icon like Annie Nightingale being able to uplift new and exciting DJs to the national stage," Jones said. "This has always been very close to Annie’s heart, so we’re pleased to be able to give her this annual opportunity to celebrate the newest ones to watch, and we’re looking forward to hearing what they each bring to the show."
