Casey Barnes, Baker Boy, & Alice Ivy among finalists of 2022 Professional Development Awards

Image: Casey Barnes

Casey Barnes, Baker Boy, A.GIRL, Alice Ivy, BRUX and Gabriella Cohen are among those in the running for a share of the $100,000 cash prize pool for the 2022 APRA AMCOS Professional Development Awards (PDAs).

The finalist list covers Popular Contemporary, Hip Hop/Rap/Soul/R&B, Classical/Experimental, Jazz/Improvised Music, Film & Television/Gaming, Country/Americana, Dance/Electronic, Music Theatre, and the Smugglers of Light Foundation Music and Media Award.

The PDAs have a reputation for boosting careers: previous winners included Briggs, Morgan Evans, Mo’Ju, Julia Jacklin, Gordi and Jess Hitchcock.

2022 sees the return for a second year of the Music Theatre category, offering funds for burgeoning composers to be used towards a workshop for their piece.

The shortlist includes a full First Nations cast in Yellow Rock – A Gumbaynggirr Song Circle and The Lucky Country, which explores the Australian identity through a wide range of underrepresented voices.

Each category winner gets $10,000 as well as a prize from Australis Music.

The Smugglers of Light Foundation Music and Media Award provides a promising Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander music or media practitioner with a grant of $12,000.

The foundation was set up in memory of Sydney hip-hop artist Eli Westlake.

The winners of the APRA AMCOS PDAs and the Smugglers of Light Foundation Music and Media Award will be announced on Thursday, March 3.

The panel of judges consisted of Jenny Morris, Dave Ruby Howe, Brooke McClymont, Adalita, Pip Norman, Nina Las Vegas, Yve Blake, Joel Ma and John Ferris, among others.

Tim Tan

The full finalists list is:

Popular Contemporary

(Two awards will be given in this category which includes Pop, Rock, Alternative, Blues, Roots, Folk, Metal, Christian and Children’s)

Beckah Amani

Bri Clark

Gabriella Cohen

Gena Rose Bruce

Georgia Potter (Moreton)

Indigo Sparke

Jack Grace

Romy Vager (RVG)

Tim Tan

Vetta Borne

Classical/Experimental

Carolyn Schofield

Elizabeth Jigalin

Kate Milligan

Kitty Xiao

Tilman Robinson

Country/Americana

Brad Cox

Casey Barnes

Gretta Ziller

Melanie Dyer

Natasha Parker (Runaway Belles)

Dance/Electronic

Adam Bozzetto (For Life)

Alice Ivy

Jitwam

Liz Maniscalco (BRUX)

Taka Perry

Film & Television/ Gaming

Luna Pan

Michael Drew

Rosie Baldwin

Sean Tinnion

Hip Hop/Rap/R&B/Soul

A.GIRL

Alliyah Fareo (Liyah Knight)

Chelsea Warner

Nardine Gharsa (Nardean)

Tiana Naug (Tiana Khasi)

Jazz/Improvised

Claire Cross

Joseph Franklin

Nick Abbey

Rafael Karlen

Rochelle Scorgie

Music Theatre

Brittanie Shipway – Yellow Rock – A Gumbaynggirr Song Circle

Jules Orcullo – Fraser Babies

Samuel Gaskin – RECKONING

Vidya Makan – The Lucky Country

Jem Cassar-Daley

Smugglers of Light Foundation Music and Media Award

Angus Field (AYA J)

Daniel Rankine (Trials)

Danzal Baker (Baker Boy)

Jem Cassar-Daley

Mi-kaisha Masella

A playlist featuring the work of PDAs finalists is available on Spotify and Apple Music.