Husky Wins $50,000 Songwriting Prize

Melbourne singer songwriter Husky Gawenda – of the band Husky – has received a $50,000 cash boost today after winning the Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition.

Gawenda nominated his band’s song Saint Joan and has walked away with what is believed to be richest first prize of any songwriting competition in the world.

“I’m honoured to win the Vanda and Young Songwriting Competition,” Gawenda said today. “That the competition supports Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy, a great cause, makes it particularly rewarding. It is a big thrill for me for Saint Joan to have been chosen from among so many great songs.”

The competition received thousands of entries from around the world and is understood to have raised $170,000 for Nordoff-Robbins, who provide music therapy services. The cash prize is donated by APRA AMCOS and Alberts.

The $10,000 second prize went to Meg Mac’s Roll Up Your Sleeves and $5,000 third place to David Le’aupepe of Gang Of Youths for Poison Drum. The Encouragement Award - $2,000 and a production package – went to Andy Bull with Baby I Am Nobody Now. Gawenda is published by Mushroom and Le’aupepe by Universal. Mac and Bull are unpublished.