Lydia Gilman, 16, of China, an Erskine Academy junior, won first prize at the 2019 Maine’s Got Talent competition held March 9 at the Gendro Franco Center in Lewiston.

Gilman is the daughter of Lance and April Gilman and granddaughter, of Judi Gilman, all of China.

Lydia Gilman, 16, of China, sings “If I Ain’t Got You Babe” during the Eighth annual Maine’s Got Talent competition to benefit for Sandcastle Clinical & Educational Services. The event was held March 9 at the Gendro Franco Center in Lewiston. Photo by Erik “Maine” Peterson

The musical competition featured the selected top 10 performing artists in Maine. The top three winners received cash prizes of $750 for first place, $500 for second place and $250 for third place.

Gilman sang, “If I Ain’t Got You Babe” in the style of Alicia Keys and brought the house down. The second place award went to Jaycen Daigle, of Eliot, performing an original composition (both singing and playing guitar). The third place award went to Tessa Walker, of Portland, who sang “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” in the style of Aretha Franklin.

The panel of celebrity judges for the event were Tom Doucette, a former Maine’s Got Talent participant; Celeste Nadeau Baranyi from WBLM, and Joe Phillipon of the Lewiston Police Department. The final results included the judges’ voting along with audience participation.

Molly McGill was the emcee for the competition.

This event is a fundraiser for Sandcastle Clinical & Educational Services, a private, nonprofit agency established in 1996, that provides quality services for children with special needs and those at risk for developmental issues. This is the Eighth annual Maine’s Got Talent competition for Sandcastle and its largest fundraiser for the year.