The biennial APRA Professional Development Awards exist to provide support to emerging songwriters and composers. Nine awards will be given out, with each recipient receiving a game-changing $15,000 cash prize to support their development. It is expected that the funds will help recipients attend workshops, music education courses, composer seminars, co-writing sessions and other relevant activities - locally or internationally.
Once again in 2019, the Smugglers of Light initiative formed part of the PDAs. Now in its third year, this Award will provide a promising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music or media practitioner a grant of $12,000.
Held every two years, the APRA Professional Development Awards aim to create serious opportunities for emerging songwriters and composers in the following categories:
There's a total prize pool of around $140,000 that will be shared by the nine winners.
Once again in 2019, the Smugglers of Light initiative will form part of the PDAs. Now in its third year, this will provide a promising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music or media practitioner a grant of $12,000. The Smugglers of Light foundation has been set up in memory of Eli Westlake aged 21, who was tragically killed in Sydney on 7 June 2008.
Professional Development Award Winners
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Popular Contemporary | Angie McMahon |
Ecca Vandal | |
Mo'Ju | |
Country | Imogen Clark |
Jazz | Niran Dasika |
Art Music | Amanda Cole |
Film & Television | Pru Montin |
Dance / Electronic | Beatrice Lewis |
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander | Deline Briscoe |
Smugglers of Light Music & Media Award | Jess Hitchcock |
APRA AMCOS works with a variety of organisations to process Professional Development Award applications. These organisations are selected based on their expertise and involvement with the music industry, and will review each application before we provide a shortlist to our judges.
Every applicant must choose one organisation to assess their application.
There are both national and state/territory based organisations, so you do not have to select an organisation based on your location. Choose the organisation that you think will best be able to assess your music and application, noting that some organisations will only be able to assess specific categories. These are outlined below.
All partner organisations will use the same scoring criteria.
Partner organisations will assess applications, and assign each a score out of 100. Applications will then be ranked, and a shortlist will be supplied by each partner organisation.
Shortlisted nominations are then considered by judging panels in each category.
The 2019 judging panel is comprised of composers, songwriters, publishers, broadcasters, producers and educators as listed below: