Finalists announced for 2026 APRA Aotearoa Screen Awards
APRA AMCOS Aotearoa are excited to announce the finalists for the 2026 APRA Screen Composition Awards: Best Original Music in a Feature Film & Best Original Music in a Series
These two awards recognise the work of our composers that lend their expertise to film and series. Screen writers have the often-challenging task of defining the tone, illuminating the story, supporting the characters, and enriching the experience for the viewer, all while remaining unobtrusive and working within the constraints of the production - whether that’s a documentary, a drama, or a comedy.
APRA Best Original Music in a Series Award | Tohu Paerangi finalists:
- Claire Cowan for Bust Up
- Lachlan Anderson for Crackhead
- Mahuia Bridgman-Cooper for Tangata Pai
APRA Best Original Music in a Film Award | Tohu Pūmanawa finalists:
- Jonathan Crayford for Caterpillar (Songbroker)
- Karl Steven and Rob Thorne for Mārama (Heard and Seen Publishing)
- Karl Steven for Pike River (Heard and Seen Publishing)
The winners will be announced at the 2026 APRA Silver Scroll Awards | Kaitito Kaiaka this October.
More about each finalist below.
APRA Best Original Music in a Series Award | Tohu Paerangi finalists:
Claire Cowan – Bust Up
Claire Cowan is hailed as one of New Zealand’s most exciting composers with an impressive array of scoring and composition credits spanning concert, film, television and theatre. Seven prime-time TV soundtracks, multiple “Best Original Score” national awards, several Composer Residencies, and two full length ballets commissioned from the Royal New Zealand Ballet are just a few of the many accolades to her name.
As a performer, Cowan’s expertise lies in strings and keys, often incorporating percussive and folk techniques into her classical string scores. She leads the band Nightflock — a group of eight exceptional instrumentalists dedicated to performing Cowan’s original compositions in ways that playfully challenge classical performance conventions.
Whether scoring for film or composing for the stage, Claire approaches each project with a deep passion for connecting with audiences. Furthermore, Claire is dedicated to advocating for underrepresented narratives, particularly those led by queer and female voices, in the realms of classical music, ballet and film.
Claire is nominated this year for Bust Up – a refreshing local crime drama featuring Morgana O’Reilly and Roimata Fox.
Watch the Bust Up trailer | Learn more - Claire Cowan
Lachlan Anderson – Crackhead
Lachlan Anderson is an Australian-born, New Zealand composer for film and television, currently living in Tāmaki Makaurau. He is also well known as the bass player and co-writer for the Ōtepoti-founded post-punk band Die! Die! Die!, recognised for their intense live shows and extensive international touring.
Lachlan’s score process often involves pushing recorded sounds to their limits, utilising abstract elements and homemade instruments alongside traditional orchestral arrangements and solo performers. He has collaborated with ensembles both locally and internationally, including sessions in London and Budapest, delivering unique scores that integrate deeply into the narrative and linger long after the picture ends.
Lachlan recently created the score for Holly Shervey’s new dark comedy series Crackhead on HBO Max and Three for which he is nominated for this category. Other recent score work includes Malin-Sarah Gozin’s (Bad Sisters, Clan) dark comedy series Dead Spoor/Dead End, marking their second collaboration following the Netflix series Tabula Rasa. Prior to this, Lachlan composed the score for the body-horror film Grafted, directed by Sasha Rainbow, and David Farrier’s investigative documentary Mister Organ.
Mahuia-Bridgman-Cooper – Tangata Pai
Mahuia Bridgman-Cooper is nominated this year for his gripping score on bilingual drama series Tangata Pai – ThreeNow’s first ever drama series that features at least 30% reo Māori.
Mahuia is an award-winning composer, violinist, producer and collaborator whose work has made him a distinctive force in Aotearoa New Zealand’s music scene. With a Master of Music from Otago University and further studies at the Australian Institute of Music, he moves confidently across genres - from 80s synthwave to full symphony orchestra - creating scores that are inventive, energetic and deeply connected to story.
His credits include composing and producing for Netflix, PlayStation and the Dalai Lama, collaborating with artists such as TEEKS, L.A.B, Bret McKenzie, Stan Walker and Six60, and scoring acclaimed films for directors including Lee Tamahori, Tearepa Kahi and Roseanne Liang. A founder of The Black Quartet, Mahuia has also composed, arranged and curated concerts for the Auckland Philharmonia and New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
Watch the Tangata Pai trailer | Learn more – Mahuia Bridgman-Cooper
APRA Best Original Music in a Film Award | Tohu Pūmanawa finalists:
Jonathan Crayford – Caterpillar
Acclaimed internationally as a highly original compositional talent, pianist and composer Jonathan Crayford has been responsible for many concerts, film soundtracks, albums, and bands. Jonathan has worked with a wide range of musicians around the world including Kurt Rosenwinkel, David Binney, Mambo Macoco and Groove Collective, David Murray, Tony Allen, Questlove, Macy Gray and in NZ Trinity Roots, Riki Gooch Pirihi, NZSQ, Bruno Lawrence and many many others.
Splitting his time now between international projects, solo work and composing for Kiwi screens, Crayford has scored the Pork Pie remake, documentary The Garden of Evil, and co-composed the award-winning score for TV's The Panthers and most recently the score for his daughter Chelsie Preston Crayford’s debut feature film Caterpillar for which he is nominated this year.
His work spans many different genres of jazz, funk, and classical disciplines, as well as Latin jazz including, but not limited to AfroCuban and Brazilian. He is considered one of New Zealand’s foremost pianists who is certainly not afraid to venture into different genres.
Watch the Caterpillar trailer | Learn more – Jonathan Crayford
Karl Sölve Steven and Rob Thorne - Mārama
Internationally renowned Māori anthropologist, taonga pūoro musician, and award-winning composer, Rob Thorne (Ngāti Tumutumu, Tainui) has been at the forefront of the revival and renaissance of traditional Māori instruments for over 25 years. Blending tradition with innovation, Rob Thorne’s work crosses orchestral, electronic, jazz, and free improvisation, leading to solo and collaborative performances around the world.
Karl Sölve Steven is an award-winning producer and composer, with many film & TV composition credits to his name. Karl comes from a background in studio engineering, where as a teenager he trained in both digital and tape production, and early in his career he has been heavily involved writing and producing a number of platinum selling musical projects, including as the frontman of iconic Aotearoa band Supergroove.
Karl and Rob are nominated for Best Original Music in a Feature Film for their score on gothic revenge horror Mārama - a story that follows a young Māori woman who uncovers her horrific colonial heritage and reconnects with her indigenous powers. Karl and Rob have collaborated on many projects for screen and are previous winners of the Best Original Music in a Series Award for Black Coast Vanishings (2024).
Watch the Mārama trailer | Learn more – Rob Thorne | Learn more – Karl Sölve Steven
Karl Sölve Steven – Pike River
Karl lands on the 2026 shortlist a second time for scoring the emotional Pike River film, a story of one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most harrowing tragedies. The film features Melanie Lynskey and Robyn Malcolm and is directed by Rob Sarkies.
Karl devises unique scores from his home of Pārāwai Thames. He works with an ever-evolving array of musicians and ensembles, whether in Auckland at Neil Finn's Roundhead Studios, in Wellington with the Stroma Chamber Ensemble, or further afield in London, LA, Sweden and Iceland. In 2024 he was invited to attend the Cannes Film Festival as one of ten international composers as part of the Marché Du Film’s ‘Spot The Composer’ initiative.
This is Karl’s sixth nomination in this category having won the award three times.
The winners will be announced at the 61st APRA Silver Scroll Awards | Kaitito Kaiaka, part of APRA's 100 year anniversary celebrations. The other awards presented on the night are:
- APRA Silver Scroll Award | Kaitito Kaiaka
- SOUNZ Contemporary Award | Te Tohu Auaha
- APRA Maioha Award | Tohu Maioha
- Te Tihi o te Maunga Tito | Kapa Haka Songwriting Award
More information
- About the APRA Silver Scroll Awards
- Playlist celebrating the Scroll Top 20 & Maioha Top 11
- How the winner of the APRA Silver Scroll Award Kaitito Kaiaka is chosen
- Past presentations and performances
With thanks to NZ On Air, Te Māngai Pāho, OneMusic NZ, TAG, Radisson RED Auckland, Framingham Wines, Hallertau, and Scapegrace.
