The Australian Performing Rights Association (APRA) has announced the 35 local acts which have been named as finalists for this year’s Professional Development Awards (PDAs), which each carry a share of $120,000 in cash prizes.
Artists among this year’s APRA PDAs finalists are Montaigne (real name Jessica Cerro), Shepparton rapper Briggs, Ngaiire, Adam Eckersley and Ruby Boots. Catch the full list of finalists and their genre categories, below.
Held every two years, the 2015 PDAs will see eight winners each receive $15,000 cash and a microphone and headphone package from Audio Technica.
This year’s PDAs also include a new initiative called The Smugglers Of Light, an Indigenous Music and Media Award which will crown one of three finalists with a $12,000 grant. The Smugglers Of Light is a foundation set up by Aussie composer Nigel Westlake in memory of his son Eli, who died in Sydney in 2008, aged 21.
Previous winners of PDAs include Gotye, Georgi Kay, Abbe May, Husky Gawenda, Morgan Evans, and screen composer Caitlin Yeo. This year’s winners will be announced on Tuesday, 24th November.
Watch: Montaigne – Clip My Wings
2015 APRA Professional Development Awards Finalists
POPULAR CONTEMPORARY
Dave Crowe
Jack Carty
Jess Cornelius (Teeth and Tongue)
Jessica Cerro (Montaigne)
L-FRESH The LION
Marlon Williams
Ngaire Joseph
Oscar Dawson (Holy Holy)
Peter Harding (aka Thief)
Timothy Carroll (Holy Holy)
ABORIGINAL TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER (ATSI)
Adam Briggs
Daniel Rankine (aka Trials)
Kahl Wallis
Marcus Corowa
Shellie Morris
CLASSICAL
Annie Hui-Hsin Hsieh
Mitchell Mollison
Peter McNamara
R. E. Smith
William Gardiner
COUNTRY
Adam Eckersley
Chelsea Basham
David Garnham
Jared Porter
Rebecca Chilcott (aka Ruby Boots)
FILM & TELEVISION
Aaron Kenny
Amy Bastow
Henrique Dib
Jared Underwood
Pru Montin
JAZZ
Christopher Hale
Gian Slater
Jeremy Rose
Joseph O’Connor
Kristin Theak
2015 Smugglers Of Light Award Finalists
Jeffrey Zimran (Tjintu Desert Band)
Kahl Wallis
Marcus Corowa
