Georgia Frost wins Alan Bates Award

This year's Alan Bates Award has been won by a Bristol Old Vic Theatre School student Georgia Frost.

Olivier Award-winner Noma Dumezweni presented Frost with the award at the Actors Centre in a ceremony this week. The award is given each year to a drama school student, who is chosen after a rigorous four-stage audition and interview process. The winner will receive headshots, a website, a makeover from Ted Baker, a year's theatre-going from See Tickets as well as access to many workshops and opportunities from the Actors Centre.

The six finalists – Afolabi Alli, Adam Boardman, Tok Stephen, Angus Imrie, Ross O'Donnellan and Georgia Frost – will all receive mentorship from the likes of Polly Kemp, Chris New and Nickolas Grace. The 13 year-old award was created in honour of Alan Bates, who was patron of the Actors Centre from 1994 to 2004.

Frost said of her win: "Receiving this award makes me feel like I have a base, a mentor and friends. A set up to put me in the right state of mind. As a woman it’s hard for us, we are on our way to equality but we need to keep pushing, and having this network and having this support will be that thing that will lift me up and help me go far."

Dumezweni said: "I think it’s such a privilege to witness people starting out, with an amazing group of judges who are great at their work. I used to work at the Actors Centre in the café years and years ago, because I didn’t go to drama school I thought, where can I be the closet to actors, I’ll work here."

This year, entrants were asked to submit a 90 second self-tape, which Actors Centre chairman Paul Clayton said was "the way forward in the profession". "The award has been more accessible than ever," he added.