TMN’s 30 Under 30 Awards are back, entries open Monday

The Music Network’s awards celebrating the music industry’s up-and-comers are back for 2021.

Early entries for TMN’s 30 Under 30 Awards are free and open next Monday, March 1 and close April 5 at 11:59pm AEST. Late entries are $49 plus GST per submission, and open April 6 and close April 18.

The national awards program, supported by APRA AMCOS, MTV, Radio Today, Sony Music Australia, TikTok and Universal Music Australia gives future industry leaders the chance to showcase their achievements and propel their careers forward.

Entrants must be an Australian citizen, permanent resident or New Zealand citizen living and working in Australia. They must be under the age of 30 at midnight on May 20, 2021 – so if you are born after May 21, 1991, you are eligible to enter. 

This year, to open up to as wider selection of industry professionals as possible, TMN is ditching the rules about having a set number of winners from each segment of the industry.

People working in sales & marketing, accounting & legal, artist/ label services, brands & agency, labels & publishing, live & touring, and media & journalism, will all still be eligible to enter, however we won’t be putting numbers on how many must fall within each category.

This will enable more music superstars to enter from across the music landscape, with the best entries from any segment of the industry having a chance to join the exclusive list.

Finalists who didn’t make the Class of 2020 are also welcome to enter again this year, provided they still meet the entry requirements. 

Winners will be selected from an all-star judging panel comprised of a mix of peers and those from in and around the value chain, to make sure the final decisions are informed and considered from all relevant sides of the industry. 

The awards will again include a Readers’ Choice Award, which will be selected by TMN’s readers from the shortlisted applications. 

All entrants will be eligible to attend a free virtual one-hour Future Leaders Roundtable, discussing the future of the sector, hosted by TMN editor Vivienne Kelly.

Kelly said after a tough 12 months for music, media, young professionals and indeed the world, it was time to recognise those who had powered through and kept the industry, and themselves, afloat. 

“We’ve all read statistics about how hard media, the live sector and the arts in particular have been hit by the pandemic, but there’s also mounting evidence that it’s had a disproportionate impact on younger people,” she said. 

“So anyone who’s managed to keep the passion alive and keep working through, achieving things for themselves, their employers, their colleagues and their wider industry deserves recognition.

“I can’t wait to see the young superstars who throw their hats in the ring for this year’s awards.”