Lorde announced 2013 Supreme AIMES Award Winner

Lorde announced 2013 Supreme AIMES Award Winner

Current Takapuna Grammar School student and international singer/songwriter Ella Yelich- O'Connor, better known as Lorde, continued an outstanding year by being named the North Harbour Club AIMES Supreme Award Winner at the club’s annual gala dinner held in early November.

As well as winning the Supreme Award, Ella also won the AIMES Award for Excellence in Music.

In recent weeks Ella, only 17 has landed a multi-million dollar contract for the rights to her songs and took top honour at the 2013 APRA Silver Scroll Awards for the song ‘Royals’. ‘Royals’ also reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2013, making her the first New Zealand solo artist to have a number one song in the United States. ‘Royals’ has certified Double Platinum, ‘The Love Club’ E.P. has certified Gold and her second single, ‘Tennis Court’, made it to number one on iTunes within a day of it being uploaded.

“Thank you to the North Harbour Club for its generous support. I'm so pleased and honoured to have been awarded the AIMES Supreme Award this year. Although I was overseas at the time of presentation, I'm told it was a beautiful night. The support this community has constantly given me is so special, and something I treasure. I can't wait to make more art and put this grant to good use,” Ella says.

The North Harbour Club AIMES Awards have been presented for the past 19 years. During that time the charitable organisation has raised and distributed in excess of $1.5 million to support the outstanding achievements of North Harbour youth.

Matthew Bellingham, North Harbour Club president, says: "Each year I wonder how we are going to reach the same levels of excellence with our recipients as we did the previous year, and each year we manage to raise the bar. Our Emerging Talent and AIMES Award winners are all truly remarkable young individuals and should be an inspiration to us all."

Below are the recipients of the 2013 AIMES Awards, each receiving a cash grant of $10,000. The Supreme AIMES Award winner received an additional grant of $15,000.

• Supreme AIMES Award for Excellence: Ella Yelich-O'Connor (Lorde), (aged 17)
• Award for Excellence in the Arts: Bridget Costello, (23) Sponsored by The Bruce Mason Centre
• Award for Excellence in IT, Innovation and Science: Sarah Mitchell, (24) Sponsored by Massey University
• Award for Excellence in Music: Ella Yelich-O'Connor (Lorde), (17) Sponsored by Albany Toyota
• Award for Excellence in Education: Michael MacDonald, (20) Sponsored by Kristin School
• Award for Excellence in Sport: Andrew Maloney, (24) Sponsored by the AUT Millennium Institute
• Award for Excellence in Service to the Community: Loren O'Sullivan, (24) Sponsored by ASB Bank
• The AIMES Judges' Choice Award: Liam Stone (16, Diver)

Eight young ‘rising stars' have been named as the recipients of Emerging Talent Awards, sponsored by Bellingham Wallace Chartered Accountants. These awards recognise young individuals who display considerable promise in the six AIMES categories, but who are still working towards reaching their full potential. Each winner received a cash grant of $5,000.

Winners of the 2013 North Harbour Club Emerging Talent Awards:
• Joel Granger - Musical Theatre Performer, (18)
• Matthew Jones - Computer Scientist, (22)
• Alex Taylor - Composer, (25)
• Natalie Te Paa - Singer/Songwriter/Performer, (18)
• Georgia Williams - Cyclist, (20)
• Finn Howard - Rower, (21)
• George Muir - Hockey Player, (19)
• Keon Park - Nano-Scientist, (22)

ENDS

© Scoop Media