Photo by David Harris

$10,000 grant for songwriters: submissions for The UpStart Awards are officially open

Entries are now open for the annual $10,000 grant for emerging Victorian songwriters.

You might still be busking, you may have recorded a few tracks or you might be playing pub gigs; but if you’re a Victorian songwriter, you should enter the UpStart Awards. It’s an annual grant of $10,000 awarded to an emerging Victorian songwriter. The winner will be decided by a panel of local artists and music experts, including Angie MacMahon and Shane Howard – as well as a range of industry experts from the radio, streaming services and beyond.

The key takeaways

• The UpStart awards are open today
• The winner will be announced and interviewed on The Breakfast Spread on PBS in mid November
• Entries close August 31, so get in quick

Keep up with the latest music news, festivals, interviews and reviews here.

Upstart are seeking a musician who shows original music creativity to bequeath this years Singer Songwriter award to. The award is funded by a music loving family from Melbourne and is decided by people active in the music industry.

No bands – however, if you’re in a band, the application may be submitted (and awarded to) the band’s songwriter. You can submit a maximum of three songs, with the files in a SoundCloud, Dropbox or YouTube format. Include a bio that describes your music style, your career to date and where you’ve been performing, as well as a budget and plan for how you would use the $10,000 prize money for the development of your career.

Who’s eligible to enter:

• You need to live in Victoria and have lived here for the last two years.
• You must also be an Australian citizen or a permanent resident of Australia.
• You must be a member of APRA AMCOS.
• You need to have an ABN.

Head to the Upstart website for more information and to apply.