2026 Professional Development Awards

Entries for the 2026 Professional Development Awards are now closed will open on 12 August 2025.

You must complete the Professional Development Awards application form online. The form is not linked to your APRA Writer login.

The cash prize is intended to help emerging songwriters and composers attend songwriting workshops, music education courses, composer seminars, co-writing sessions and other relevant activities either domestically or internationally. The Awards are NOT intended to fund recording. Please consider this when writing your response, as Partner Organisations will only assess applications that demonstrate a commitment to using the prize for professional development.

The application form has three parts: personal details, works and responses to questions. Each section is judged individually so please take care when responding.
 

1. CHOOSE A CATEGORY

You may only choose ONE of the following categories to apply to:

• Popular Contemporary (which includes Pop, Rock, Alternative, Blues, Roots, Folk, Metal, Christian, World and Children’s) – two Awards are given in this category
• Country / Americana
• Classical & Experimental
• Dance / Electronic
• Hip Hop / Rap
• Jazz & Improvised Music
• Music Theatre (see below ‘Music Theatre Guidelines’ heading for application details)
• R&B / Soul
• Screen Composition (film, television and games)
• Aboriginal & Torres Straight Islander PDA General - two Awards are given in this category
• Aboriginal & Torress Straight Islander PDA Senior (over 50 years of age)
   

2. CHOOSE A PARTNER ORGANISATION

APRA AMCOS engages with a variety of Partner Organisations who assist in reviewing applications in order to create a shortlist which is then assessed by an independent panel of judges. Please review the list of Partner Organisations below and nominate one to assess your application. Please note that the Partner Organisations are not able to answer questions about your application – please address all queries to [email protected]

Note: if you are submitting to any of the NATSIMO categories you will not be required to choose a Partner Organisation.


3. SUPPLY THE FOLLOWING
 

• A high-res head shot and brief bio to be used if you are a Finalist or Winner
  
   
• If you are under 18, please upload a Letter of Authority from your parent or guardian which can be found both here and within the online Awards portal.
  
   
• Three of your works or songs as mp3 or mp4 for our judges to listen to. This section is worth 45% of your total score.
   
  • Mp4 files are only permitted in the Screen Composition category. Please do not submit music videos or performances of works for any other categories.
  • Screen Composition: Entrants must provide 3x audio-visual samples of their works composed for film, television or games. These samples can be pre-existing or curated for entry – they should not exceed five minutes each in duration.
    
     
• Jazz & Improvised and Classical & Experimental Entrants must provide scores for each work (if applicable).
  
   
• If you are applying for an Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander category, you must comply with the three working criteria as confirmation of your Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander heritage. These are:
   
  • Being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent
    
     
  • Identifying as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person
    
     
  • Being accepted as such by the community in which you live, or formerly lived.

4. SUBMIT RESPONSES TO THE FOLLOWING

A maximum of 300 words per response is allowed.

Please note: the written portion of the application is worth 55% of your total score, so please take time in considering your responses when submitting your application.

• Details of your achievements or current engagements in musical studies, songwriting, composing, performing etc.
  
   
• What are your ambitions for a future career in composing and songwriting, and how do you propose to achieve those ambitions? Applicants should provide a clear and detailed budget that matches your PDA proposal. Ensure accuracy, align expenses with project goals, and include justifications for each item to help assessors understand your proposed goals. 
  
   
• How will winning an APRA Professional Development Award help you achieve your goals mentioned in the question above?
  
   

If you have any queries about the application form, please contact [email protected]

The Music Theatre Professional Development Award will give one APRA member $10,000 to be used towards a workshop of their musical theatre piece.

Please be aware that this funding is for a workshop only.

You will not be required to choose a Partner Organisation for this Award.

APPLICATION DETAILS

1. Works and Supporting Materials

• Title of Production
• Duration of full production
• Cast and character breakdown
• Details of any previous productions or workshops, if any
• Overview of story: outline the story and number of works in the production. Please also include a full script (or at least 10 pages) and a web link (if applicable)
• Workshop summary details: number of actors required + number of songs being workshopped + duration of workshop (one pdf, maximum 3 pages)
• Two (2) musical works from the production
• Letters of support: musical and script writing collaborators, theatres, producers, mentors, managers etc. You must upload at least one, with a maximum of five.

2. Responses to Questions

Please answer the following questions with as much detail as is relevant.

• Details of your current engagement in musical theatre, composition, script writing, songwriting, recording etc.
• What are your ambitions for a future career in musical theatre?
• How do you propose to achieve those ambitions?
• How will winning an APRA Professional Development Award help achieve your goal?

If you have any queries about the application form, please contact [email protected]

1. Terms and Conditions

The following information forms part of the terms and conditions of entry to the 2026 Professional Development Awards (PDAs). By entering the Professional Development Awards, Entrants agree to be bound by these terms and conditions.

2. Organiser

The organiser of the Professional Development Awards is Australasian Performing Right Association Ltd (ABN 42 000 016 099) of 16 Mountain Street, Ultimo NSW 2007, AUSTRALIA (Organiser).

3. Professional Development Awards period

Entries open at 9:00am Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) on Tuesday 12 August 2025 and all entries must be received online no later than 11:59pm AEST on Tuesday 23 September 2025. Late entries will not be accepted.

4. Eligibility

Entry into the Professional Development Awards is limited to songwriters who:

• are APRA members;
• are an Australian citizen
  • or a New Zealand citizen who has been a legal Australian resident for a minimum of two consecutive years as of 1 January 2026;
• have not previously won an APRA Professional Development Award or have not been shortlisted or won an APRA NZ Professional Development Award
• comply with these terms and conditions of entry.

Employees of the Organiser (and members of their immediate families) are ineligible to enter.

5. Entry criteria and award categories

Entries may only be lodged by individual songwriters (co-writers should nominate separately). Entrants must gain consent from any co-writer (and, if the work is the subject of a publishing agreement, the consent of the publisher) prior to entry. Entry is limited to once per APRA member.

Entrants may enter the Professional Development Awards in any one of the following Award Categories:

• Popular Contemporary (which includes Pop, Rock, Alternative, Blues, Roots, Folk, Metal, Christian, World and Children’s) – two Awards are given in this category.
• Country / Americana
• Classical & Experimental
• Dance / Electronic
• Hip Hop / Rap
• Jazz & Improvised Music
• Music Theatre
• R&B / Soul
• Screen Composition
• NATSIMO General
• Aboriginal & Torres Straight Islander PDA General - two Awards are given in this category
• Aboriginal & Torress Straight Islander PDA Senior (over 50 years of age)
   

Eligible Entrants may only enter in one Award Category.

6. Online Entry

To enter, Eligible Entrants must visit the Professional Development Awards portal at pda.apra.com.au and follow the prompts to:

• Properly complete and submit an online Entry Form, completing all required details, agreements and acknowledgements;
• Upload three (3) recordings of original musical compositions written or co-written by the Entrant in mp3 format, or mp4 format for Screen Composition entries.
   

7. Entry Materials

It is the Entrant’s responsibility to ensure that the recording submitted in respect of each Submitted Recording is complete and playable. The Organiser is not responsible for incorrect, inaccurate, late, damaged or misappropriated entries. All Entry Materials submitted will not be returned to Entrants. Copies of Entry Materials may be retained and used by the Organiser strictly for promotional purposes in accordance with these terms and conditions. Any false information provided as part of an Entrant’s Entry Materials will result in automatic disqualification of that Entrant.

8. Indigenous Cultural Intellectual Property (ICIP) and best practice for working with Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Communities

Where working with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people and communities, and/or Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property, preference will be given to applicants that can demonstrate compliance with best practice protocols.

For more information on what Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property is and what best practice protocols are, please see the protocol guide published by the Australia Council for the Arts.

Applications without adequate supporting documentation from Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait partners or collaborators included in any way in the applicable will be ineligible.

NATSIMO, APRA AMCOS and our members are reviewing systems and structures with APRA AMCOS to address the specific needs to music creators who create elements of Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property. Applicants can reach out to NATSIMO directly to discuss your application at [email protected]

9. Ownership

All Entrants (or their publisher if applicable) will retain all copyrights and all other rights controlled by them in all songs entered in the APRA Professional Development Awards. For the avoidance of doubt, no copyrights in any song entered will be assigned to the Organiser by virtue of an Entrant entering the Professional Development Awards.

10. Judging

All judges are subject to APRA’s Conflict of Interest Policy which can be viewed online here.

All entries will initially be judged by the Organiser in conjunction with its Partner Organisations. Entrants will choose a Partner Organisation at the time of entry. Entrants’ nominations of Partner Organisations may be changed at the Organiser’s discretion. At the end of the Awards Period, a shortlist of Eligible Entrants will be complied by the Organiser (Shortlisted Entrants). No final decisions as to Shortlisted Entrants or Winners will be made by the judges prior to the end of the Awards Period.

Shortlisted Entrants for each Award Category will then be referred to separate judging panels for each Award Category, with each judging panel made up of composers, songwriters, publishers, broadcasters, producers and educators. Entries will be judged equally on melody, composition, originality and lyrics (when applicable).

Production value and quality of performance will not be considered. The judging panels will not be in a position to provide Entrants with feedback or critique in relation to entered songs. Each judging panel’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into.

This is a game of skill and chance plays no part in determining the winner. All valid entries received during the Awards Period will be judged by the Organiser on their merits in accordance with the Judging Criteria.

11. Notification of Finalists and Winners

The Organiser will notify all finalists by email in mid-January 2026 using the contact details provided on the online Entry Form. The Winner of each Award Category will be announced in mid February 2026. The Organiser will not be held liable for any unforeseen delays in the judging process.

12. Prizes

Each winner will receive:

• $10,000 cash courtesy of APRA AMCOS

Total prize value $130,000.

13. Prize Conditions

Each Winner’s entitlement to all prizes described above is subject to the following:

• Each prize (or any part thereof) is not redeemable for cash, transferrable or exchangeable. The Organiser is not liable in anyway if a Winner cannot receive, accept, or use any element of a prize for any reason. A prize (or any part thereof) may be cancelled in the Organiser’s discretion if a Winner attempts to transfer it.
  
   
• The Organiser will not cover any associated costs in connection with each Winner’s enjoyment of a prize other than those expressly stipulated above or on the Professional Development Awards online Entry Form. Any taxes payable in relation to prizes are the sole responsibility of the Winner.
  
   
• The Organiser reserves the right, in its absolute discretion, at any time during the Awards period, to vary, withdraw, postpone, or cancel the Professional Development Awards, including without limitation, in circumstances where it cannot conduct the Professional Development Awards or grant any part of an Award for any reason beyond its control.
  
   
• In the event that The Organiser postpones or varies the Professional Development Awards or any part of an Award or associated prize, The Organiser (and any party associated with the Professional Development Awards) shall not be liable to any person for any loss or damage of any kind (including but not limited to indirect or consequential loss or loss or damage caused by The Organiser’s or other party’s negligence) arising out of, or in connection with, the postponement or variation of the Professional Development Awards (or part thereof). Nor will the Organiser or other party be liable for any loss, damage, payment or expense of any kind (including but not limited to indirect or consequential loss or loss or damage caused by the Organiser's or other party's negligence) or personal injury or other damage suffered or sustained as a result of the entering, judging, running, cancellation or acceptance, enjoyment or use of the Professional Development Awards or Award (or part thereof) except for any liability that cannot be excluded by law.
  
   
• The Organiser has the right to refuse to allow a Winner to take part in all or part of a prize or Award, if the Organiser deems, at its discretion, that a Winner is not in an appropriate physical or mental condition to ensure the safety of the Winner or the other parties involved, or the Organiser otherwise deems that it is not appropriate for a Winner to take part in all or part of a prize for any reason.
  
   
• The Organiser reserves the right to amend or substitute any of the prizes described above at its discretion without notice to Entrants.
  
   
• All prizes must be claimed within one year of them being presented to the Winner. Unclaimed prizes after this period cannot be redeemed.
  
   
• If a Winner is under the age of 18 years, the prizes will be awarded to the Winner's parent or guardian on the Entrant's behalf.
   
• PDA recipients may be required to provide evidence of the funded activities, an assessment of the project targets or objectives, the outcomes achieved, and financial information at agreed milestones.

14. Warranties and Representations

Entrants warrant and represent that:

• Each of their Submitted Recordings comprises an original music work written (or co-written) by them, which does not infringe third party copyrights, or contravene any applicable statute, law, order, rule or regulation;
  
   
• If any of their Submitted Recordings are co-written or co-created, they have the consent of their co-writers to submit the Submitted Recordings, grant the licenses and releases herein, and participate in the Professional Development Awards;
  
   
• They own and control all copyrights and other rights in and to the Entry Materials they provide to Organiser hereunder in connection with the Professional Development Awards, or are otherwise legally able to grant the rights set forth herein;
  
   
• If they are engaged under a publishing or recording agreement, they will obtain all necessary authorisations, consents and licences in order to participate in the Professional Development Awards and to allow the use of their Entry Materials by Organiser as set forth herein;
  
   
• Their Submitted Recordings were recorded and otherwise prepared in all respects in accordance with the rules and regulations of all unions and similar associations having jurisdiction;
  
   
• Any songwriter, publisher, artist and/or producer credits that they provide to Organiser will be accurate; and,
  
   
• They have read these Terms and Conditions and that they meet all the eligibility requirements to participate.

15. Privacy and Releases

Entrants agree that, as a condition of their entry for a Professional Development Award, they:

• Release the Organiser and its employees, directors, officers, subsidiaries, affiliates, promotional agents, and judging panellists from any and all liability, claims, or actions in connection with their participation in the Professional Development Awards;
  
   
• Agree that their name, photos, or likeness, statements, Submitted Recordings may be publicised, published, communicated, or used at or in connection with the Professional Development Awards, without compensation, by the Organiser, in any Organiser or Organiser-partner media or publication, including internet sites, press releases, Organiser conferences or award shows, and for distribution by Organiser to media organisations or any third party requesting such materials in connection with Organiser or the Professional Development Awards; and
  
   
• Grant a worldwide perpetual non-exclusive license to Organiser to reproduce, communicate to the public and publicly perform the songs and recordings submitted, in whole or in part, via all media, in any manner including digital streaming or download technology, for the Organiser's promotional and archival purposes;
  
   
• Acknowledge that their entries and details will be held in accordance with the APRA AMCOS Privacy Policy.

16. No Sales or Extraordinary Payments

The Organiser will not sell copies of any Submitted Recordings or otherwise distribute copies of Submitted Recordings other than for Organiser's promotional purposes. Entrants acknowledge that they will receive no royalty payments or payments of any kind from the Organiser, including for the performance of their Submitted Recordings in connection with the Professional Development Awards, other than those that they may be eligible to receive through APRA' s usual distribution system.

17. Jurisdiction and Choice of Law

The Professional Development Awards and these terms and conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of New South Wales and all Entrants irrevocably and unconditionally consent to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts of New South Wales.

By entering the 2026 Professional Development Awards you agree to the terms and conditions as listed above.