23% Mentorship program

The 23% Mentorship program is for emerging and established women and gender diverse* APRA AMCOS members. 

Over a 6-month period (July - December 2026), 14 Australian APRA AMCOS members will be mentored by a handpicked selection of music industry pros.  The program comprises 6 meetings (at least one in-person), and each successful applicant will receive $3,000 to cover any work-related and/or travel expenses during the mentorship.   

ABOUT THE 23% MENTORSHIP

• 6-month mentorship (July - December 2026)
• 1x mandatory face-to-face meeting and a minimum of 5x further meetings either in person, via phone, video or email
• 14 Mentorships in total between an Australian APRA AMCOS member & an industry professional
• 4x Mentorships for members located in UK, Europe and North America
• Participants paired based on career stage, goal focus & priorities (rather than genre)
• Funding: Each successful applicant will receive $3,000 to cover any work-related and/or travel expenses during the mentorship

Mentors who could be matched with this year’s mentees include icons such as Alex Hosking, Anna Laverty, Chelsea Warner, Imogen Clark and Mahalia Barnes. 

*Includes non-binary, trans, gender non-conforming, trans other non-cis male gender expressions.

Now in its 8th year, APRA AMCOS’ mentoring program aims to address gender disparity in the music industry by providing professional guidance and funding directly to successful applicants. To date, 98 participants have passed through the program.

The mentorship program launched after an APRA AMCOS-commissioned report recommended mentorship as a practical way to address gender disparity in the music industry. The report, published in 2017 and conducted by RMIT University's Dr Catherine Strong, focused on screen composers and unpacked the limiting or enabling factors in the development of women’s careers in music. Screen composers were chosen as their membership was even more polarised in terms of gender representation than the wider membership - only 13% of registered screen composers at the time were female.

The research showed that women and gender diverse music creators faced substantial career barriers including being: less likely to make a sustainable career from their craft, less likely to be given fair opportunities, despite being more educated and less likely to win professional accolades.