iVisionary Talent Showcase 2023

by Cayman Bentley, PVF’s Program and Communications Associate

The iVisionary Talent tour is a community led, high-school talent competition highlighting hidden talent in the Bay Area, Sacramento, and Los Angeles. The competition was founded by Ace Johnson, a former Bay Area Inspire Awardee and founder of The BLOC Love Foundation. The competition was held on April 29, 2023 and UC Berkeley’s Cal Stadium. This talent tour was made possible with a grant from the Youth Joy and Wellness Grant Program, administered by Oakland Thrives and PVF. 

This year’s talent tour finale brought together 5 individuals to showcase their talent in front of their friends, families, supporters, and also a panel of judges to compete for the $5000 cash grand prize. The winner of this years competition was Fremont High school’s Anizha Spuell, a 14 year old spoken word artist that captivated the the crowd and judges with her chilling pieces to win the grand prize. As part of the prize, she was also gifted free studio time and artist development to help nurture her creative expression. Also participating with amazing performances were Obama Noble,14, Najee Moore,18, Shalanda Morton, 19, and Anja Motuliki,14; two hip hop artists, another spoken word artist, and a singer, respectively. The 5 finalists were chosen to compete in the finale after they all participated in the Fremont High school Talent showcase, held a week earlier.

(18 year old Producer and Rapper Najee Moore pictured above on left and 14 year old Singer and Songwriter Anja Motuliki pictured above on right. )