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APRA AMCOS unveils 2025 APRA Professional Development Award finalists

APRA AMCOS has unveiled the finalists for the 2025 APRA Professional Development Awards, including five emerging composers vying for top honors in the screen composition category.

The screen composers – Caleb Jacobs, Darren Lim, Josie Mann, Paul Nicolaou, and Samuel Marks – are now one step closer to receiving a $10,000 cash prize to support their professional development. The award is designed to help recipients attend workshops, music education courses, composer seminars, and co-writing sessions, either locally or internationally.

Previous winners in the screen composition category include Michael Allen, Luna Pan, and Michael Drew.

The APRA Professional Development Awards span 13 categories in total and feature 61 songwriter and composer finalists. The finalists in the other categories this year are:

Classical & Experimental

  • Corrina Bonshek (Corrina Bonshek & Collaborators)
  • Han Yi (Henry) Liang
  • Jasmin Wing-Yin Leung
  • Josten Myburgh
  • Kate Milligan

Country/Americana

  • Charlie Collins
  • Denvah
  • Max Jackson
  • Melody Pool
  • Raechel Whitchurch

Dance/Electronic

  • CORIN
  • Elle Shimada
  • Harvey Sutherland
  • Rromarin
  • Skeleten

Hip Hop/Rap

  • BARKAA
  • Gold Fang
  • Hayku Kyah
  • J-MILLA
  • YAWDOESITALL

Jazz & Improvised Music

  • Eduardo Cossio
  • Flora Carbo
  • Hilary Geddes
  • Solune
  • Tom Avgenicos

Music Theatre

  • Alec Steedman – Silver Tongue
  • Cassie Hamilton – A Transgender Woman on the Internet, Crying
  • Conor Neylon and Jackson Peele – Kate, Gus & The Other Kids
  • Erin McKellar – Wittenoom
  • Sheanna Parker Russon – Afterglow

Popular Contemporary (two awards)

  • Alias Error
  • Ally Hocking Howe
  • Claire Taylor
  • Gabriel Strum (Japanese Wallpaper)
  • KIAN
  • Salty
  • Sui Zhen
  • Romy Vager (RVG)
  • Samuel Gaskin
  • Zeppelin Hamilton (Velvet Trip)

R&B/Soul

  • Ashli
  • Dylan Atlantis
  • James Angus
  • Ruby Jackson
  • Wild Gloriosa

NATSIMO General

  • FLEWNT
  • Jolene Lawrence
  • Katrina Connelly
  • Kee’ahn Bindol
  • Rrawun Maymuru

NATSIMO Youth (under 25)

  • Becca Hatch
  • Kaytlyn Johnson
  • Layla Barnett

NATSIMO Senior (over 50)

  • Anna Liebzeit
  • Brolga
  • Marlene Cummins

The winners of the APRA Professional Development Awards will be announced at a ceremony in Sydney on February 13, 2025. A playlist featuring the work of all finalists is available now on Spotify and Apple Music.