Finalists Revealed For The 2026 APRA Professional Development Awards

Finalists include Eliza Hull, Annie Hamilton, Adrian Dzvuke, Velvet Trip’s Zeppelin Hamilton, and many others.

Darren Lim, Eliza Hull, Hamed Sadeghi, Jasmin Wing-Yin Leung, Queenie, Zeppelin Hamilton(Credit: APRA AMCOS)

APRA AMCOS has revealed the finalists for the 2026 APRA Professional Development Awards (PDAs), with Australian artists and composers across all genres nominated.

This year, 61 songwriters and composers have made the finalists’ list, vying for one of the coveted awards by genre. Thirteen individual recipients will take home a life-affirming $10,000 to invest in their professional growth, with funds going towards workshops, courses, seminars, co-writing sessions and other development activities.

This year’s recipients will be announced on Thursday, 12 February. Finalists include Eliza Hull, Annie Hamilton, REDD., Ruby Gill, bella amor and others in the Popular Contemporary category, plus Gabriella Smart (Classical/Experimental), Tori Darke (Country/Americana), Andy Garvey (Dance/Electronic), Zafty (Hip-Hop/Rap), Adrian Dzvuke (R&B/Soul), and Velvet Trip’s Zeppelin Hamilton (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander General).

You can find the full list of finalists below.

An expert panel of more than 50 industry judges selected this year’s finalists. One of the judges, Danny Harley, aka The Kite String Tangle, commented in a statement: “This was my first time judging the awards, and I was just SO impressed by the strength of the applications.

“The music was of such high calibre, and the level of creativity and thought put into how the funds could be used to support artistic and professional development was exciting to hear about. It speaks to a music community that is ambitious, considered and full of potential.

“I hope that no matter what the result for each applicant, that the process was encouraging and gave clarity for their ambitions regardless, because the applications were all outstanding.”

Previous Professional Development Awards recipients include Angie McMahon, Baker Boy, BARKAA, Gotye, Jem Cassar-Daley, Melanie Dyer, Miss Kaninna, Ngaiire, Romy Vager (RVG), and Yirrmal.