Recipients announced for 2019 APRA Professional Development Awards

These awards recognize artists who are shining lights in the world of songwriting and composition – creative, skilled, motivated, passionate, disciplined and organised.

Every two years, APRA presents Professional Development Awards to New Zealand songwriters and composers who demonstrate outstanding potential in their field. Each award is worth $10,000 cash, towards the recipient’s ongoing career development.

These awards recognize artists who are shining lights in the world of songwriting and composition – creative, skilled, motivated, passionate, disciplined and organised.

To determine the recipients, all applications are assessed by an anonymous industry panel. The caliber of applications this year was exceptional and the judges were inspired by the huge potential reflected in them. So much so that it was decided five awards would be made instead of the usual three.

The plans of this year’s recipients are an eclectic mix with projects that will take them all over, from Los Angeles to Paris, Melbourne, Wisconsin, and Nashville. They’ve created opportunities for themselves to learn from an incredible array of practitioners, whether that’s through co-writing, post-graduate study, internship, or attending workshops.

“These are five great projects from five amazing writers, each with bold and exciting plans. At APRA we hope that our support and investment gives them all confidence and freedom to experiment, learn, and thrive as artists, and to then bring those skills back to Aotearoa and share them further,” says Head of New Zealand Operations Anthony Healey.