Missy Higgins | Image: Matt Jelonek/Getty Images

Finalists Announced For $60k Melbourne Prize For Music

September 7, 2022

Finalists for the 2022 Melbourne Prize For Music have now been announced. The triennial award will honour a Victorian artist whose work has made “an outstanding contribution to Australian music and to cultural life”, with the winner receiving a $60,000 cash prize.

Announced today, this year’s finalists are Missy Higgins, Mindy Meng Wang, Liza Lim, and Jim White. Previous winners of the award include Kutcha Edwards, Professor Paul Grabowsky AO, Professor Deborah Cheetham AO, and Brett Dean.

The Melbourne Prize For Music has announced its 2022 finalists:

The winner of the award will be announced on Wednesday, 9th November, with judges Cheetham, Helen Marcou AM, and Benjamin Northey making the ultimate call. Meanwhile, public voting for the Civic Choice Award is also open now, with the winning artist nabbing a $2,000 prize.

“We were overwhelmed with the response this year,” the judges said in a joint statement. “With an increased artistic and cultural diversity evident across all entrants, the Victorian music sector is alive and well and a vibrant and creative contributor to Australian music.”

“The four finalists in the Melbourne Prize for Music 2022 demonstrate remarkable and sustained achievement across all areas of music,” they added. “Music touches us all and is the fabric of our cultural life and community well-being and we would like to thank all entrants this year and the local music sector for their interest and support.”

$10,000 will also be awarded to the winner of the Professional Development Award, given to a Victorian artist or group to fund their work, travel, or other musical endeavours to further their career. Similarly, the Beleura Emerging Composers Award has a $20,000 prize to assist an emerging composer in developing the next stage in their journey.

Currently in its 17th year, the annual Melbourne Prize operates in a three-year cycle, with this year’s prize coming after the Melbourne Prize For Urban Sculpture and the the Melbourne Prize For Literature were handed out in 2020 and 2021 respectively.