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Competitions

Ready to build a successful and sustainable career in the music industry? These competitions can help.

Art music fund

If you're an art music composer, the Art Music Fund could be your opportunity to have your work more widely performed.

We created the Art Music Fund, in partnership with the Australian Music Centre, and now SOUNZ Centre for New Zealand Music, in recognition of the limited opportunities for art music composers to have new works performed.

In 2024, we have granted A$55,000 to provide funding for 11 composers to create commissioned work. These works must also have committed partners to ensure the work is presented multiple times. The plan is to create a long artistic life for the work and its composer.

Applications for the 2025 Art Music Fund are open 5 December 2024. Apply by 14 February 2025.

Please note you'll be moving across to our Australian website to learn more about this fund - but rest assured it is open to all APRA members - where ever you may be based.

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MLT Songwriting Awards

Open to all songwriters and with prize money totaling $3.000, entries from all over New Zealand and Australia are received for the annual M.L.T. Songwriting Awards. The music and lyrics of all entries must be deemed original by the judges and all songs must not be commercially released prior to judging.

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Play It Strange

Established in 2003, Play It Strange exists to provide pathways of creativity through songwriting for young New Zealanders - also the recording, performance and celebration of those songs. They have a number of programmes and competitions in place to achieve these goals.

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International Songwriting Competition

Established in 2002, the International Songwriting Competition (ISC) honours amateur and professional songwriters around the world and awards more than $150,000 in cash and prizes in all. Winners are selected from almost 15,000 entries from all around the world. With an esteemed panel of judges including luminaries Tom Waits, Steve Winwood, Loretta Lynn, Jeff Beck, McCoy Tyner, Robbie Williams, Adele, Jerry Lee Lewis, Robert Smith (The Cure), and many more, winning the ISC Grand Prize is an extraordinary accomplishment recognizing excellence in the craft of songwriting.

Open to both amateur and professional songwriters, ISC offers 22 categories to enter, representing all genres of popular music. Past winners have included artists at all levels, from Grammy winners to hobbyist songwriters and everyone in between. To better level the playing field for unsigned artists, ISC has added this year the ""Unsigned Only"" category which is open to songwriters and artists not signed to a major label record deal, publishing company, or distribution deal. This category provides an excellent opportunity for unknown artists to compete against others on a similar level.

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John Lennon Songwriting Competition

The John Lennon Songwriting Contest is an international songwriting contest that began in 1997. The Contest is open to amateur and professional songwriters who submit entries in any one of 12 categories. The JLSC is open year-round and features two Sessions -- with 72 Finalists, 24 Grand Prize Winners, 12 Lennon Award Winners and 1 Maxell Song of the Year.

You don't need a professional recording. Entries will be judged on originality, melody, composition, and lyrics (when applicable). Your songs may be entered in any of the following categories: Rock, Country, Jazz, Pop, World, Rhythm & Blues, Hip Hop, Gospel/Inspirational, Latin, Electronic, Folk, and Children's. Instrumental compositions are encouraged.

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