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.
Note: the awards are not intended to fund tours, recording, publicity, music videos, or ad campaigns. They are intended to support your creative development to become a better songwriter/composer/musician/artist through education, collaboration, and opportunities to be mentored or trained.
Please read the 2022 Terms and Conditions before entering.
Once you have a good idea of how you would use the prize money to further your career, apply below!
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 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.
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.
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.