RISING gospel musician Sarah Bonne  shrugged off stiff competition from nine other contestants to pocket US$1 500 prize money plus a video recording deal at the Shoko Festival as the ultimate winner of the inaugural Voice to Represent (Voice2Rep) competition held on Wednesday in Harare. BY KENNEDY NYAVAYA The Voice2Rep is a new annual programme under Magamba Network’s Arts for Change initiative in conjunction with Accountability Lab that supports the extensive amplification of youthful voices as well as participation in national processes through music. In October, 10 finalists were chosen from over 300 entries to go through mentorship with established musicians, producers and other arts stakeholders. In an interview with NewsDay Life & Style, Bonne said the opportunity would help jump-start her career. “For me this competition was never about winning, but the opportunities it has opened up. So I am really grateful because I am also the inaugural winner,” she said. “I am going to use this opportunity very wisely because I have been struggling with my career and I have been trying to work hard to support my music.” Bonne said after such a victory, she would work hard to promote her music not only as a gospel musician as she has learnt a lot from her participation at this competition. All the other finalists are part of a 10-track album that was produced as part of a residency programme leading to the announcement of the winner. The programme, which ran under the theme Mic Check Can You Hear Me Now, was open to youths from across diverse backgrounds with a wide range of topics, in a bid to give young people a chance to portray the future they want through music. The winner was chosen by judges through a rigorous process as well as online voting platforms.  Follow Kennedy on Twitter @ken_nyavaya