Jessica Dives and Jim Pearson win the Liverpool Acoustic Songwriting Challenge 2024

The Liverpool Acoustic Songwriting Challenge 2024 Showcase Final took place at LEAF on Bold Street on Saturday 8th February 2025.

A sold out venue saw each of the finalists performing their song with a picture of the work of art that inspired it projected onto the big screen for all to see.

At the end of the night Jessica Dives was announced as the winner of the Judges’ Award for 2024 for The Ballad or Cressington Ginny, a song about the legend of ‘Screeching Ginny’ who is said to haunt the site of Garston Dock Station after being killed by a train. The piece of art that inspired it can be found at Liverpool South Parkway.

After the last of the finalists had performed the audience was able to vote for the song they enjoyed the most. After the votes had been counted it was revealed that Jim Pearson had won the Audience Favourite Award with his song Leave No One Behind, inspired by a Tate Liverpool and RIBA North exhibition called Brickworks, on display at Mann Island.

Jim performed his song on the night accompanied by Welsh duo Igloo Hearts (Katy and James Macgregor). Jim won the Judge’s Award at the 2023 Songwriting Challenge.

During the September 2024 entry period 33 songwriters submitted brand new songs inspired by art on display across the Liverpool City Region. Judges Jon Lawton, Kaya Herstad Carney, Robert Vincent, Luke Moore and Alison Benson listened to all of the entries and gave each a score based on lyrics, melody, composition and originality. The points from the judges were added together and the songwriters with the ten highest scores were awarded a place at the Showcase Final.

The winning songwriters get their song professionally recorded by Jon Lawton at Crosstown Studios, a cello arrangement for the recording from Luke Moore, plus a songwriting or singing lesson from Kaya Herstad Carney.

The money raised from tickets to the Showcase Final is split between Marie Curie Cancer Care and Garston Animal Rescue in memory of former Liverpool Acoustic team member Sharon Jones.