Competitions
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.
The 2026 Art Music Fund will provide 17 grants of $7,500 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.
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.
Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition
Named after the legendary songwriting partnership of Harry Vanda and George Young from Australian band The Easybeats, this competition offers a substantial cash prize and career opportunities to its winner and runners-up.
The Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition is your opportunity to be heard, to invest in your career and to make a difference, with the $50 entry fee donated to Noro's music therapy services.
Gold Guitar Awards
The New Zealand Gold Guitar Awards are open for artists who have not recorded a product for sale. Contestants may enter as an individual, in a duet and/or as part of a group. Contestants compete in either the junior, intermediate, senior or 40 Plus sections, depending on their age. There are a variety of sections, including male and female solo, gospel, traditional, country rock, duet, yodeling, vocal group, group NZ composition and instrumental. High quality bands provide backing for contestants.
Smokefree Rockquest
Smokefreerockquest is New Zealand’s only nationwide, live, original music, youth event. The series of over 40 events reaches audience numbers in excess of 10,000 every year.
Founded in 1989 by music teachers Glenn Common and Pete Rainey, Smokefreerockquest has now become a New Zealand institution.
Smokefreerockquest aims to motivate young musicians to prove their ability and realise the heights they can reach in their music careers, and to encourage their peers to support original New Zealand music.
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.
International Acoustic Music Awards
The International Acoustic Music Awards (IAMA) promotes excellence in acoustic music performance and artistry. Acoustic artists in various genres can gain exciting radio and web exposure through this competition. This is the only awards platform of its kind in the music industry. IAMA is open to all independent artists and labels, there is no age limit and people from all countries can enter.
Win prizes in 8 different categories: Folk/Americana/Roots, AAA/Alternative, Instrumental, Open, Bluegrass/Country, Best Male Artist, Best Female Artist, Best Group/Duo. There is also be an Overall Grand Prize winner awarded to the top winner worth US$11,000, which includes radio promotion to over 250 radio stations in US and Canada. Therefore, winning songs will be heard on radio.
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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