Hosted by Michael Xavier with a special performance by Elaine Paige, the Sondheim Society Student Performer & Best Song Prize is back for another year.

The Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year sees 12 students from the UK’s leading drama schools compete for the Student Performer prize, which was created to give musical theatre students a platform to showcase their work before graduation.

Each student sings a song by Sondheim and a new musical theatre song written by members of Mercury Musical Developments, an organisation dedicated to the craft of writing book, music and lyrics for musical theatre.

The judging panel includes Elaine Paige, Laura Pitt-Pulford, Pippa Cleary, Jamie Lloyd, John Wilson and Jake Brunger, and prizes are presented by Julia McKenzie.