With an Award pool of $30,000 cash to support their development. It is expected that the funds will help recipients attend workshops, music education courses, composer seminars, co-writing sessions and other relevant activities.
Prior to 2020, the PDAs were awarded based on genre, with each recipient receiving $10,000.
Year | Film & TV | Classical | Pop Contemporary |
---|---|---|---|
2019 | Maxwell Stone | Reuben Jellyman | Brooke Singer Delaney Davidson Jamie McDell |
2017 | Claire Cowan | Clovis McEvoy | Chelsea Jade |
2015 | Hamish Oliver | Sarah Ballard | Mara TK |
2013 | Karl Steven | Alex Taylor | Nick Gaffaney |
2011 | Stephen Gallagher | Simon Eastwood | Miriam Clancy |
2009 | Grayson Gilmour | Samuel Holloway | Jessica Hansell |
2007 | - | - | John Chong Nee |
2005 | - | Robin Toan | - |
What are the Professional Development Awards for?
The Awards are intended to help emerging songwriters/composers attend songwriter workshops, music education courses, composer seminars, participate in co-writing opportunities and attend other relevant activities either domestically or internationally. Activities that will develop their career in songwriting/composing.
Can I enter a song I have co-written with somebody else?
Yes, as long as you have their permission to do so, and at least 33.3% of the song was written by a New Zealand APRA member.
Can I enter more than one song/work?
In certain cases yes.
In regard to the APRA Silver Scroll Award – only one work may be submitted by or on behalf of any one writer, except in the case of co-written songs, where a writer may be included in entries for each separate writer/band/artist that they collaborate with.
In regard to the APRA Maioha and SOUNZ Contemporary Award – a maximum of two works may be submitted by or on behalf of any one writer, except in the case of co-written works, where a writer may be included in entries for each separate writer/band/artist that they collaborate with.
In regard to the APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film or Series awards – a maximum of three entries may be submitted by or on behalf of any one writer.
A separate entry form is to be completed for each work submitted.
Can I enter my song/composition in more than one category?
The short answer is yes. You can enter the same song for the Silver Scroll Award as well as the Maioha Award, or you can enter different songs in each category.
While it is unlikely that a work which is eligible for the SOUNZ Contemporary Award | Te Tohu Auaha will also be eligible in other categories, there are no rules which explicitly prevent the work from being entered in other categories also.
In regards to the Screen Awards, the music must have been written specifically for inclusion in the feature film or series entered.
Can I use it to fund our next album?
The Awards are not intended for recording purposes – please consider this before applying.
Can I use it to help promote my work – publicity / music video / advertising campaigns?
No. The Awards are intended to develop your skills as a songwriter or composer, not to pay for professional services to promote your work.
Do I apply for the PDA in New Zealand or Australia?
As an APRA AMCOS Member you can apply for either – dependant on where you are a legal resident. As an example: To enter the New Zealand 2021 PDAs, you must be a citizen or a legal resident in New Zealand for a minimum of 2years on 1 July 2021.
Do I have to be an APRA member?
If you are not already an APRA member, you can apply to become an APRA member in order to enter your work. Our member services team are happy to help you with this.
Does it matter whether my song has been popular or successful?
No, not at all. All categories in the APRA Silver Scroll Awards are judged solely on the artistic and creative merits of the song.
How are the finalists and winners decided?
For the APRA Maioha Award, SOUNZ Contemporary Award | Te Tohu Auaha, and Screen Awards, we assemble a judging panel of fellow members who have expertise or experience in each respective category. The names of these judges are published each year. They take time to consider all entries and create their own shortlist before coming together to discuss which entries will become finalists and winners.
For the APRA Silver Scroll Award, we assemble a panel of ten APRA members/songwriters as our initial judging panel. They listen to all the entries (often more than 200 songs) and create a shortlist, before we hold a panel meeting to decide on the top 20 songs. The names of these judges are also published each year.
All APRA members are then invited to listen to these top 20 songs and vote for their top five songs in order. The votes from APRA members determine the top five finalists and winner.
All judges in all categories evaluate the entries without knowing who wrote/composed each song/work – they are simply given the song title, song lyrics, and audio file.
All judges have not entered the awards themselves, and must declare any conflict of interest with any entries ahead of final decisions being made.
APRA staff members have no input or influence in the judging of any categories.
How much does it cost to enter?
It’s FREE to enter all the categories, so all it will cost you is a couple of minutes of your time.
I am a Screen composer (for film, tv, gaming etc) what files of examples shall I supply?
Please provide audio-visual samples of your work – a showreel if you have one. These samples can be pre-existing or created for entry – they should not exceed 5minutes in duration. Additionally, Screen entrants are encouraged to provide scores where available for the submitted pieces.
I am in a band – can the band submit an application?
Applications are only available for individual songwriters – although the band’s music can be considered, the individual songwriter’s application responses will be considered alone. Additionally, the funds will be provided to the individual alone.
I'm an artist manager. Can I submit an application on behalf of a songwriter I represent?
You can, but please ensure that you complete all fields with the writer's name and details, not yours. We do also want to hear directly from our writer members about how an Award will support their development, so the responses should come from them.
I've already released an album and/or have a record deal. Can I apply?
You sure can. The Professional Development Awards are intended to help songwriters and composers move into the next phase of their musical careers. Make sure you use your application to tell us how winning will help you do this.
Is my information secure online?
The PDA application form and all submitted materials are stored on a highly secure server that ensures privacy and security for all APRA AMCOS data. Your application will only be viewed by select APRA AMCOS staff and the Judging Panel.
My songs won’t be mastered until after the deadline, can I provide updated tracks when they are available?
All applications will be considered final and complete when submitted – as we must adhere to strict deadlines in terms of judging, we cannot replace files within an application after the closing deadline. However, our judging criteria places importance more on the content of the application than the recording quality of the submitted pieces.
What about the recording quality? Does my song have to be professionally recorded, or can it be a demo recording?
The quality of the recording is not taken into account by the judges, so it can be recorded however you like. However, your song must have been released to the public in some way in order to be eligible (ie. made public via a digital platform like Spotify, Apple Music, Soundcloud, YouTube or another website, or via radio or TV).
Why do I need to provide a bio and photo?
This information may be published online and/or in print if your application is shortlisted and/or you are a winner.
Why do I need to provide Proof of ID?
To ensure that all applicants adhere to the Terms and Conditions – Proof of ID is required to ensure that applications are directly from the applicant in question.