RVG, Miss Kaninna, and synth lord Harvey Sutherland among APRA finalists

APRA’s dropped its nominations list for 2024 and its a doozy, good luck to the judges

This year’s APRA Professional Development Awards just dropped the list of finalists, and it’s stacked with some awesome new talents like Sara Berki, Ninajirachi, Elsy Wameyo, Miss Kaninna, and a bunch more.

APRA AMCOS announced the lineup on January 16, giving a shoutout to some of Australia’s most promising up-and-comers.

Each award comes with a solid $10,000 cash prize. They’ve got categories for different genres like Popular Contemporary, Dance/Electronic, and Country/Americana, plus other forms like Music Theatre and Screen Composition.

There are also three awards connected to the National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Music Office (NATSIMO) – General, Youth, and Senior.

In the running for the General NATSIMO award are names like Jolene Lawrence, Miss Kaninna, Kee’ahn, Birdz, and Nathan Lamont. Youth finalists include THOM, Becca Hatch, and Sachém, while the Senior crew has Suga Lu, BROLGA, and Warren Mason.

Elsy Wameyo is making waves in the Hip-Hop/Rap/R&B/Soul category, battling it out with Milan Ring, Nardean, Nkechi Anele, and Thom Crawford.

The APRA Dance/Electronic category is heating up with Elle Shimada, KUČKA, Harvey Sutherland, Nicole Michel-Millar, and Ninajirachi going head-to-head.

And if you’re into a Country/Americana finalists are Gretta Ziller, Babitha, Raechel Whitchurch, Sara Berki, and Taylor Moss.

These awards are a big deal for up-and-coming artists, and past winners like Gotye, Mo’Ju, Ecca Vandal, Melanie Dyer, Ngaiire, Gordi, and Yirrmal can vouch for that.

The winners get announced on Thursday, February 15, and a bunch of industry pros like Imogen Clark, Hau Latukefu, Kristy Gostelow, Sosefina Fuamoli, Ngaiire, Nina Las Vegas, and Tim Levinson are the ones making the tough calls.

Keep your eyes peeled as Australia’s next big things wait to take their spots in the musical limelight.