Singapore's very own local alternative music festival Baybeats 2018 is returning from 17 to 19 August, and so are its accompanying programmes — Baybeats Budding Editorial and Baybeats Budding Bands.

If you have a passion for music and are interested in exploring music journalism, here's your chance: Sign up for the Budding Editorial programme and have the opportunity to be a part of the team providing editorial and social media coverage for Baybeats 2018 under the mentorship of The Straits Times' music correspondent Eddinno Abdul Hadi and Bandwagon's former editor Daniel Peters (yay!).

If you're more keen in music-making than writing, then Baybeats Budding Bands is right up your alley. The annual Baybeats Audition gives aspiring bands a stepping stone in their musical career: the opportunity to meet and work with established local artists, hone their craft and reach out to wider audiences. Subsonic Eye, Cadence, and Disco Hue count among Baybeats Budding Bands alumni, just to name a few.

At the end of the three-month mentorship, selected bands will have the chance to perform a 30-minute set in Baybeats 2018, and be profiled alongside other prominent local and overseas acts in the festival. 

The deadline for application submissions for writers under the Budding Editorial programme and groups under Budding Band programme is Sunday, 15 April. Successful applicants will be notified by 18 April. Click here to apply to be a budding writer, or here to be a budding band.