A 17-year-old guitarist has been named as winner of the Essex Young Musician of the Year Competition 2022.

Ongar Music Club announced Tom Hodgkinson, a student at Brentwood School, as the winner.

Tom has also studied at the Junior Trinity Laban Conservatoire since 2018 and is currently under the mentorship of the distinguished guitarist John Williams. He won a cash prize of £1,000 as well as several offers of recital engagements.

The second prize of £400 and recital engagements was won by the cellist Gabriel Francis-Dehqani (22) who is currently studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

The third prize of £300 was won by flautist Katie Bartels (20), the fourth prize of £200 by soprano Jessica Edom-Carey (26) and the fifth prize of £100 by the thirteen-year-old pianist Henry Li.

The two under-19 prizes were won by pianist Archie Playle (13) and violist Florence Cope (17).