Australians in Film President Andrew Warne has announced the fifteen finalists for the 2013 Heath Ledger Scholarship.
The Scholarship is named after Oscar-winning Australian actor Heath Ledger, who tragically passed away in January 2008, and has the full support of the Ledger family and friends.
Of the final fifteen, an esteemed panel will choose one winner and two runners-up, who will be announced in Los Angeles on June 12.
The overall winner will received USD$10,000 in cash, a return ticket to Los Angeles, a one-year Scholarship to Stella Adler Acting School in LA, a trip around California for two a Showcast & Breakdown Services VIP casting package and $5000 worth of visa and immigration services.
The runners up will round-trip ticket to Los Angeles plus a Showcast VIP casting package.
The 2013 finalists are: Hannah Barlow, Elizabeth Blackmore (Home & Away), Laura Brent, David Coussins, Ashleigh Cummings (Puberty Blues), Georgia Flood (Wentworth & House Husbands), Geraldine Hakewill, Andrew Hazzard (Home & Away), Will Howarth, Reef Ireland(Puberty Blues), Kate Jenkinson (House Husbands and Home & Away), Andrew Lees (Rescue Special Ops), James Mackay (The Straights), Bob Morley (Neighbors and Home & Away) and Alex Williams(Underground, the Julian Assange story).
They will be judged by a panel made up of actor Wes Bentley (Heath Ledger's co-star in Four Feathers), casting agents Ann Fay (Maura Fay Casting), Nikki Barrett (Barrett Casting) and Leslee Feldman(Dreamworks), directors Gregor Jordan (Ned Kelly) and Kieran Darcy-Smith (Wish You Were Here), talent manager Will Ward (ROAR) and agent Steve Alexander (Resolution).
Benefactors of the Heath Ledger Scholarship include Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watts, Hugh Jackman,Deborra-Lee Furness, Michelle Williams, Phil Noyce, Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin.
The Australians in Film 2013 Heath Ledger Scholarship is sponsored by Virgin Australia, AusFilm, Visit California, Raynor and Associates, Stella Adler Acting and Theatre and Showcast Breakdown Services.