Recipients of 23% Mentorship program announced

Name: APRA AMCOS
Address: Australia
Price range: $

Media Published Thursday 18 June 2026

Image: 2026 recipients. Top L-R: YAGKI, Charlie Lane, Malaika Mfalme, Jenna Pratt. Middle L-R: Kaiyah Mercedes, EMEREE, Emilia Vercauteren, Jazzy Dale, Georgia Delves, Arianna. Bottom L-R: Blushing, Wishlist, Ciara Muscat, Maeve Grieve, Frankie Dyson Reilly

Arianna, EMEREE, Jenna Pratt, Malaika Mfalme and Yang Chen among mentees

Mentors include Anna Laverty, François Tétaz, Mahalia Barnes, Milan Ring and Mo’Ju

The program is part of a suite of commitments aimed at addressing gender disparity in music through impactful programs, funding and advocacy

The 16 recipients of the 2026 23% Mentorship program for women and gender diverse* music creators have been announced.

The program, run by APRA AMCOS, which usually accepts 14 mentees each year, has selected 16 recipients for 2026 due to the high quality of entries.

This year’s mentees are Arianna Malezer (Arianna), Caitlin D'Souza (Caisha Sprout), Charlotte Saville (Charlie Lane), Ciara Muscat, Emilia Vercauteren, Frankie Dyson Reilly, Gabrielle Emery (EMEREE), Georgia Delves, Jasmine Dale (Jazzy Dale), Jenna Pratt, Kaiyah Ridgway (Kaiyah Mercedes), Maeve Grieve, Malaika Green (Malaika Mfalme), Sarah Yagki (YAGKI), Stella Farnan (Wishlist) and Yang Chen (blushing).

Each mentee is paired with a mentor specially selected to align with career stage, goals and priorities. This year’s mentors include some of the industry’s leading figures based in Australia, the UK and the US including Anna Laverty, François Tétaz, Mahalia Barnes, Milan Ring and Mo’Ju. Each successful applicant also receives $3,000 towards projects or work-related expenses and/or travel.

Tanzanian/Australian singer-songwriter, Malaika Mfalme, who will be mentored by Mo’Ju, explains: “Mentorship programs like this matter because they create pathways for artists who have historically been underrepresented or excluded from industry networks. Having access to guidance, knowledge-sharing and someone who understands both the creative and practical realities of building a career can be transformational.”

Composer Jenna Pratt, who has been paired with mentor François Tétaz, adds: “This mentorship is incredibly valuable because so much of a creative career is spent learning through trial and error. Having the opportunity to learn directly from someone with a wealth of experience offers a perspective that's difficult to gain on your own. For me, it comes at a really exciting stage where I'm starting to move into more long-form work, so having guidance as I navigate that next step feels especially meaningful.”

Since the mentoring program began in 2018, over 110 music creators have taken part from across the musical spectrum including Athanasia, Ayda Akbal, BVT, Eliza Hull, Victoria Pham and more.

23% is a reference to the percentage of APRA AMCOS members who identified as women or gender diverse when the program, previously titled Women In Music Mentorship, was renamed in 2024. The program is a key part of the organisation’s commitments towards addressing gender disparity in music, including a 40/40/20 commitment to a minimum of 40% representation of women across all programs and judging panels. The mentorship program aims to address this disparity by providing professional guidance and funding directly to successful applicants.

Karen Don, Head of Membership at APRA AMCOS, concludes: “Congratulations to all of this year’s recipients! Forging and sustaining a career in the music industry isn’t always easy, and for women and gender diverse songwriters and composers, those barriers can be even more pronounced. Programs like 23% Mentorship are helping to shift that landscape, offering meaningful support and representing a positive step forward as we continue working together towards greater gender equity.”