APRA Professional Development finalists announced

Marlon Williams (pictured), L-FRESH The LION, Briggs, Oscar Dawson and Timothy Carroll of Holy Holy, Thief, Ngaiire, Adam Eckersley, Dave Crowe, Jack Carty, Trials and Ruby Boots are among those announced this morning as finalists of the 2015 APRA Professional Development Awards.

These are held every two years to create opportunities for emerging songwriters and composers. Eight winners are announced on Tuesday November 24.

35 names – from the popular contemporary, classical, jazz, film & television, country and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) genres – are in line to share an $120,000 cash prize.

They were chosen by a panel of local judges comprising Lior, Andrea Keller, James Blundell, Josh Pyke, Kav Temperley, Amanda Brown, RaiThistlethwayte and Kevin Bennett, along with British singer songwriter and film composer Gary Go, Swedish music producer, songwriter, film composer Erik Lewander and US MTV host and comedian Chris DeStefano.

In 2015, the prize pool offers eight individual winners more than $15,000 worth of career support, along with a microphone and headphone package from PDA sponsor Audio Technica.

Popular Contemporary (three awards from this category covering pop, rock, blues, folk, hip-hop, dance and R&B): 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), and Timothy Carroll (Holy Holy)

Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander (ATSI): Adam Briggs, Daniel Rankine (aka Trials), Kahl Wallis, Marcus Corowa and Shellie Morris.

Classical: Annie Hui-Hsin Hsieh, Mitchell Mollison, Peter McNamara, R. E. Smith and William Gardiner.

Country: Adam Eckersley, Chelsea Basham, David Garnham, Jared Porter and Rebecca Chilcott (aka Ruby Boots).

Film & Television: Aaron Kenny, Amy Bastow, Henrique Dib, Jared Underwood and Pru Montin.

Jazz: Christopher Hale, Gian Slater, Jeremy Rose, Joseph O’Connor and Kristin Berardi.

The newly created Indigenous Music and Media Award is from the Smugglers of Light, a foundation set up in memory of dance producer Eli Westlake aged 21, who was killed on a Sydney street in June 2008. Three finalists for this award – Jeffrey Zimran (Tjintu Desert Band), Kahl Wallis and Marcus Corowa – are among those selected to receive a single grant of $12,000.

Previous winners of the APRA PDA have been Gotye, Georgi Kay, Abbe May, Husky Gawenda, Morgan Evans and screen composer Caitlin Yeo.