Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) is proud to announce an increased financial and cultural commitment to songwriters and composers with eleven scholarships for emerging songwriters across Australia and New Zealand.

In 2009, APRA will award eight Australian Professional Development Awards (PDAs) and three NZ PDAs (that’s two more than 2006 in both countries!). The first of the two new Australian Awards will be for a popular contemporary songwriter, taking the total to three in this category. The second new Award will be for an emerging Indigenous songwriter or composer. These new Awards are in addition to the Awards in the established categories of Classical, Jazz, Country and Screen Music composition.

Australian winners will receive $12,000 cash to advance their careers through study or travel, PLUS: a Gibson guitar courtesy of long-time APRA Awards partner Gibson Guitars, studio time at Trackdown Recording Studio and access to an online course provided by the award-winning Berklee College of Music. Each prize package in 2009 PDAs will total more than $16,000.

APRA also administers the Jessica Michalik Contemporary Music Endowment as part of the PDA program. The Endowment gives a $10,000 development grant to a promising Australian songwriter or band, nominated by the producers of The Big Day Out.

Applications for the 2009 Australian PDAs open Monday 1 September 2008 with winners announced in March 2009.

Further information

About the PDAs

Since their inception in 2001, the APRA Professional Development Awards (PDAs) have helped emerging songwriters and composers fast track their careers. Recognising original music creators with outstanding ability, who needed a little help to make their dreams a reality; APRA has so far handed out 20 Awards, totalling more than $250,000 in cash and prizes.

Songwriters that we have helped make their big break include: popular contemporary winners Sally Seltmann (New Buffalo), Mia Dyson, screen composer Michael Yezerski, jazz composer Mace Francis and NZ hip-hop songwriter John Chong-Nee.

Philippa Horn

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