2024 APRA PDAs Announced

Kenya-raised singer, rapper and producer Elsy Wameyo, award-winning musical queer comedy duo Mel & Sam, and hard-of-hearing composer and sound artist Rebecca Bracewell are among the winners of the 2024 APRA Professional Development Awards (PDAs).

Presented annually by APRA AMCOS, the prize celebrates developing songwriters and composers across a range of genres, with each recipient snagging a $10,000 cash sum.

This time, APRA AMCOS and NATSIMO (National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Music Office) selected its winners from a pool of close to 1,000 artists.

The class of 2024 includes rising songwriter and producer Aidan Hogg (G Flip, Jaguar Jonze, Holy Holy), dance/electronic creative Nina Wilson (Ninajirachi), and screen composers Michael Allen.

“These awards not only nurture and acknowledge the next exciting wave of songwriters and composers, but they also signal the strength of Australian music and how important it is to invest in this fast-growing cultural export,” comments Dean Ormston, CEO of APRA AMCOS.

For the second year, the NATSIMO honours three Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander songwriters across three categories: Proud Yorta Yorta, Djadja Wurrung, Kalkadoon and Yirendali woman Kaninna Langford (Miss Kaninna) for NATSIMO General, Amelia Thompson (THOM) for NATSIMO Youth, and Tin Camp Studio’s Warren Mason received the NATSIMO Senior PDA.

“From THOM’s youthful, self-described ‘audacity’, to Miss Kaninna’s unique career-path from musical theatre to pop, and to Warren Mason’s songwriting as a means of healing, the NATSIMO is excited to support these songwriters and foster artistic development and cultural impact at all life stages,” comments Leah Flanagan, director, NATSIMO in a statement.

Recipients were selected by a panel of music industry experts, including Imogen Clark, Hau Latukefu, Kristy Gostelow, Sosefina Fuamoli, Ngaiire, Nina Las Vegas, and Tim Levinson.

A playlist featuring the work of all PDAs finalists is available on Spotify and Apple Music.

Past winners Caitlin Yeo, Sarah Buckley, Amanda Cole, Imogen Clark, Jeremy Rose and Ngaiire.