A songwriting competition previously graced by Suffolk pop superstar Ed Sheeran is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.

The Bury Songwriters Competition aims to bring talented writers out of their bedrooms and into the limelight, and has seen many talented artists perform over the years.

After a hiatus last year, the event will be held as part of this year’s Bury Fringe Festival with four heats held at the Hunter Club in Bury St Edmunds on April 4, 11, 18 and 25.

Five acts will perform in each heat culminating in seven songwriters making it through to the final on May 4 at the Hunter Club.

The competition is open to all ages and requires the writer to submit one song entry through the Bury Fringe Festival website at www.buryfringe.co.uk on the Bury Songwriters Competition page.

Neil Rayson, co-organiser, said: “It is exciting to have the competition back after a brief hiatus and we anticipate more great talent coming through the area that maybe hasn’t had the platform yet to release music to a wider audience yet.

“In the past we have had some great talent play the competition such as Jon Hart, Lucy Sampson, Alex Highton and Ed Sheeran to name a few, and we have some great prizes to offer the finalists and winner.”

The deadline for entries is March 21 and heat annoucements will be made on March 23.