APRA AMCOS' $5000 Lighthouse Award Returns In 2017

The annual APRA AMCOS Lighthouse Award has opened submissions for 2017, once again granting $5000 to a standout female Victorian music manager or self-managed artist.

Created in honour of late, great manager Linda Gebar, who passed away unexpectedly in October 2008 after an acclaimed career nurturing the careers of acts such as The Killjoys, Frente and The Blackeyed Susans — alongside her work with both APRA AMCOS and Melbourne station PBS FM, and her time as a booker at the Punters Club and as a record label owner — The Lighthouse Award aims to recognise individuals who exhibit "passion, creativity and integrity" at the kind of levels displayed by the trailblazing Gebar and give them a helping hand in developing their career.

Previous winners of the award include the likes of Bonnie Dalton, Bernadette Ryan and 2013 recipient Jen Cloher, who said of the grant in a statement: "Winning The Lighthouse Award publicly validated the nine years I had spent managing my own career as an artist."

"Learning about the business of making music has been hugely empowering and the perfect training ground for establishing Milk! Records, the label I run today with my partner, Courtney Barnett," she said.

"Linda Gebar embodied the spirit of community and independent music; it was an honour to be associated with her legacy in this way."

The grant is open to managers and self-managed artists aged 18 or over who are committed to a career in the music industry and who demonstrate honesty, creativity and professionalism in their work, alongside a willingness to act as a mentor within the community.

Said APRA AMCOS director of writer services Jana Gibson:

"We're working hard to increase participation of women in music. Although only 21.7 per cent of our 90,000 songwriter members identify as female, we are seeing growth in the number of women joining, with women making up almost 25 per cent of new APRA members in 2016.

"Initiatives like The Lighthouse Award bring visibility to the women working tirelessly behind the scenes to strengthen the music community, like Linda Gebar, and encourage women to pursue a career in music."

Applications are open now, and will close at 5pm AEST on Monday 24 April ahead of the winner being announced in May.

See APRA AMCOS' website for more information.