A new music scholarship aimed at supporting emerging artists is being launched in Sheffield on Friday 6 March as grassroots champion DJ AG brings one of his trademark livestream sessions to the steps of Sheffield Town Hall with confirmed Sheffield artists performing alongside DJ AG including Reverend & the Makers, Steve Edwards and even a possible cameo from The Lord Mayor of Sheffield.
WaterBear The College of Music has partnered with DJ AG to offer a fully funded BA Honours degree place for 2026 at its Sheffield campus. The scholarship will cover full tuition fees for the three year Professional Music degree and includes mentoring support for the successful applicant.
The award is open to artists across performance, production, electronic music, music business and songwriting pathways. Applications open on 1 April 2026 and close on 30 June 2026.
To mark the launch, DJ AG will host a free public livestream from Sheffield Town Hall between 4pm and 8pm on Friday. The session will be broadcast to his 1.8 million followers on TikTok through his channel @djagonline, while city centre audiences gather in person to watch the performances unfold.
The event will feature a mix of emerging artists and established Sheffield figures performing live throughout the evening. The line up has been shaped through an apply to play callout and public vote, giving local artists the chance to step onto DJ AG’s platform and perform both to the crowd gathered at Sheffield Town Hall and to his online audience of 1.8 million followers. Confirmed performers include Reverend and the Makers with TikTok star Steve Bracknall and his Royal Oak FC who are joined by Junglist Alliance with guest MC Top Cat, the Sheffield All Stars (including Coco, K-Dot, Aziza Jaye and Lavelle), and vocalist Steve Edwards, who will perform an extended version of his international hit ‘World, Hold On’ with an additional verse from WaterBear student, MC Forca.
DJ AG has become one of the most visible champions of grassroots talent in the UK. His open street sessions regularly attract first time performers as well as global names including Skepta, JME, Ed Sheeran, Jessie J and Will Smith. By blending spontaneous live performance with digital reach, his platform gives emerging artists a chance to be heard by audiences far beyond the street corner.
The new scholarship reflects that same approach by opening the door to musicians who might otherwise struggle to access higher education in music. At a time when recent domestic music school graduates have gone on to sweep major global industry awards, the value of structured creative education has never been clearer. The successful applicant will study at WaterBear’s Sheffield campus, gaining industry experience alongside academic training while developing their own artistic practice.
Eve Massaad, Chief Marketing Officer at WaterBear, said:
“There is an extraordinary amount of young talent coming through cities like Sheffield. But talent needs places to grow and people who believe in it. This scholarship is about recognising that potential and making sure the next generation of artists have both the education and the industry support they need. Working with DJ AG felt like a natural partnership because he has spent years creating opportunities for artists to step forward and be heard. We are proud to be launching this together in the heart of the city.”
Since 2018 WaterBear has awarded more than fourteen scholarships across undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Previous partnerships have included Tramlines, The Sarah Nulty Foundation, The Leadmill, Slambarz and Pattern and Push in Sheffield.
Sheffield singer songwriter Alice Ede, a previous WaterBear scholarship recipient and one of the city’s rising young artists, is among the musicians whose careers have been supported through the college’s scholarship programme.
One recent recipient, Lucy Poole, winner of the Leadmill Scholarship Award in 2023, described the impact of the opportunity.
“Winning the scholarship was a dream come true and really helped with the financial side of my master’s. Since then my business has grown, I have set up multiple community events and share music with more young people in my area. Thank you WaterBear for giving me this opportunity.”
The scholarship announcement also follows WaterBear’s recent commitment to the city’s live music infrastructure. The college confirmed earlier this year that the long running Devonshire Street venue The Green Room will reopen in June 2026 as The WaterBear Greenroom, securing the future of the much loved space after more than two decades at the centre of Sheffield’s independent music scene. The news was widely welcomed by audiences and artists across the city as an important vote of confidence in grassroots venues.
Alongside initiatives such as the Keeping Music Live campaign in partnership with Music Venue Trust, the new DJ AG scholarship continues WaterBear’s focus on supporting both the artists and the spaces that allow them to develop.
Applications for the DJ AG Scholarship open on 1 April 2026 and close on 30 June 2026.
Full eligibility details and application information will be published on the WaterBear website – https://waterbear.org.uk/sheffield/.
