APRA Awards

The APRA Music Awards are several award ceremonies run in Australia and New Zealand by Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually.

These awards are to honour achievements by songwriters including the APRA Music Awards, the APRA Classical Music Awards and the Screen Awards, all in Australia. In New Zealand, the annual Silver Scroll is awarded by an anonymous judging panel to the year's best-written song on commercial release. Also awarded are the songs receiving the most airplay in New Zealand and overseas for the year.

APRA Music Awards (Australia)

The APRA Music Awards were established in 1982 to honour songwriters and music composers for their efforts. The award categories are:

Song of the Year

Song of the Year is decided by the votes of APRA members. All eligible songs must be written by an APRA member and released in the preceding calendar year for consideration. The Song of the Year award is considered one of the most prestigious of the APRA Music Awards.

• In 2000 Powderfinger won with the song "Passenger".
• In 2001 Powderfinger won for the song "My Happiness".
• In 2002 Alex Lloyd won for his song "Amazing".
• In 2003 Kasey Chambers won for the song "Not Pretty Enough". (4)
• In 2004 John Butler won for the song "Zebra".
• In 2005 Missy Higgins and Kevin Griffin won for the song "Scar".
• In 2006 Ben Lee and McGowan Southworth won for the song "Catch My Disease".
• In 2007 Glenn Richards from Augie March won for the song "One Crowded Hour".
• In 2008 Daniel Johns from Silverchair and Julian Hamilton from The Presets won for the song "Straight Lines".
• In 2009, Chris Cheney from The Living End won for their song "White Noise".

Songwriter of the Year

Songwriter of the Year is voted by APRA's Board of Writer and Publisher Directors rewarding the songwriter who has recorded the most impressive body of work in the previous year.

• In 1993 Greg Arnold won this award.^[1]
• In 2000 Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones of Savage Garden were joint winners of this award.
• In 2001 Ella Hooper and Jesse Hooper of Killing Heidi were joint winners of this award.
• In 2002 Kasey Chambers won this award.
• In 2003 Daniel Johns from Silverchair won this award.
• In 2004 Powderfinger won this award.
• In 2005 Jet won this award.
• In 2006 Bernard Fanning won this award.
• In 2007 Andrew Stockdale, Myles Heskett and Chris Ross of the band Wolfmother shared the award.
• In 2008 Daniel Johns from Silverchair won this award.
• In 2009, Kim Moyes and Julian Hamilton of The Presets won this award.

The Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music

The Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music' is decided by APRA's Board of Writer and Publisher Directors for a lifetime contribution. The Award is named after Ted Albert whose company Albert Productions put out records by The Easybeats, AC/DC and John Paul Young.

• In 2000 national radio station Triple J won the award.
• In 2001 Charles Fischer won the award.
• In 2002 Barry Chapman won the award.
• In 2003 Angus Young, Malcolm Young and Bon Scott of AC/DC won the award.
• In 2004 Don Burrows, Australian jazz and swing musician, won the award.
• In 2005 promoter Michael Chugg won the award.
• In 2006 Bill Armstrong won the award.
• In 2007 Michael McMartin won the award.
• In 2008 Roger Davies won the award.

Breakthrough Songwriter Award

Breakthrough Songwriter Award is decided by APRA's Board of Writer and Publisher Directors for an emerging songwriter or groups of writers. The award category was first introduced by APRA in 2002.

• In 2002 Jennifer Waite and Grant Wallis of Aneki won the inaugural award.
• In 2003 Craig Nicholls from The Vines won the award.
• In 2004 Delta Goodrem won the award.
• In 2005 Missy Higgins won the award.
• In 2006 Wolfmother won the award.
• In 2007 Glenn Richards of Augie March won the award.
• In 2008 Sally Seltmann of New Buffalo won this award.
• In 2009, Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu won the award.
• In 2010 Luke Steele, Nick Littlemore, Donnie Sloan & Peter Mayes of Empire Of The Sun won the award.

Awards for Most Performed Works

There are a number of awards given for most performed work based on a statistical analysis of APRA's database. These awards include "Most Performed Australian Work of the Year", Most Performed Australian Work Overseas", "Most Performed Foreign Work", "Most Performed Jazz Work", "Most Performed Country Work" and "Most Performed Dance Work".

APRA's Top 30 Australian Songs

As part of its 75th anniversary celebrations in 2001 APRA created a list of the top 30 Australian songs.^[2] A panel of 100 music personalities were asked to list the ten best Australian songs, the data was compiled and the Top Ten in numerical order, was announced at the 2001 APRA Music Awards ceremony.^[2] At the ceremony You Am I performed the #1 listed song "Friday on My Mind" with Ross Wilson performing the #2 listed song "Eagle Rock".^[2] The next 20 songs in the Top 30 had been announced four weeks earlier.^[3]

APRA - Australian Musical Centre Classical Music Awards

In 2001, APRA joined forces with the Australian Music Centre (AMC) to present awards for Australian classical music. The AMC had been presenting awards for classical music since 1988 although funding cuts meant that no awards were presented between 1993 and 1995. The participation of APRA helped to secure the future of the awards which are the only Australian awards for contemporary Australian classical music. This award has been won by composers including Brenton Broadstock, Ross Edwards, Georges Lentz, Liza Lim, Richard Mills, and Peter Sculthorpe.

Screen Music Awards (Australia)

APRA presents award for music used in films together with the Australian Guild of Screen Composers with the first awards presented in 1992.

• 2002 Awards

International Achievement Award - David Hirschfelder

Best Feature Film Score - Alan John for The Bank

Best Soundtrack Album - Paul Kelly, Mairead Hannan, Kev Carmody, John Romeril, Deirdre Hannan and Alice Garner for One Night the Moon

• 2003 Awards

International Achievement Award - Bruce Smeaton

Best Feature Film Score - Nigel Westlake for The Nugget

Best Soundtrack Album -Cezary Skubiszewski for After the Deluge

• 2004 Awards

International Achievement Award - Lisa Gerrard

Best Feature Film Score - Elizabeth Drake for Japanese Story

Best Soundtrack Album - Iva Davies, Christopher Gordon and Richard Tognetti for Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

• 2005 Awards

International Achievement Award - Bruce Rowland

Best Feature Film Score - Ben Ely, Matthew Fitzgerald, Tom Schutzinger and Peter Kelly (Decoder Ring) for Somersault

Best Soundtrack Album - Roger Mason for The Extra

• 2006 Awards

International Achievement Award - Peter Best

Best Feature Film Score - Francois Tetaz for Wolf Creek

Best Soundtrack Album - David Bridie, Albert David and Kadu for R.A.N

• 2007 Awards

International Achievement Award - The Wiggles

Best Feature Film Score - Nigel Westlake for Miss Potter

Best Soundtrack Album - Nigel Westlake for Miss Potter

• 2008 Awards

International Achievement Award - Garry McDonald and Laurie Stone

Best Feature Film Score - David Hirschfelder for Children of the Silk Road

Best Soundtrack Album - Michael Yezerski for The Black Balloon

APRA Silver Scroll (New Zealand)

Each year all songwriters with a song on general release that year can enter the Silver Scroll. An anonymous judging panel considers a shortlist of songs awards the Scroll purely on the basis of songwriting. At the awards an artist is also inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame.

Silver Scroll winners^[4]

• 1965: Wayne Kent-Healey, "Teardrops"
• 1966: Ray Columbus, "I Need You"
• 1967: Roger Skinner, "Let's Think of Something"
• 1968: David Jordan, "I Shall Take My Leave"
• 1969: David Jordan (second award), "Out of Sight, Out of Mind"
• 1970: Wayne Mason (The Fourmyula), "Nature"
• 1971: Corben Simpson, "Have You Heard a Man Cry?"
• 1972: Stephen Robinson, "Lady Wakes Up"
• 1973: Ray Columbus (second award) and Mike Harvey, "Jangles, Spangles and Banners"
• 1974: John Hanlon, "Lovely Lady"
• 1975: John Hanlon (second award), "Windsongs"
• 1976: Mike Harvey (second award), "All Gone Away"
• 1977: Lea Maalfrid, "Lavendar Mountain"
• 1978: Steve Allen: "Why Do They?"
• 1979: Sharon O'Neill, "Face In a Rainbow"

• 1980: Paul Scheuder, "You've Got Me Loving You"
• 1981: No award
• 1982: Stephen Young, "I Can't Sing Very Well"
• 1983: Stephen Bell-Booth, "All I Want Is You"
• 1984: Hammond Gamble, "Look What Midnight's Done to Me"
• 1985: Malcolm Black and Nick Sampson (Netherworld Dancing Toys), "For Today"
• 1986: Tony Waine, "Abandoned By Love"
• 1987: Dave Dobbyn, "You Oughta Be In Love"
• 1988: Shona Laing, "Soviet Snow"
• 1989: Stephen Bell-Booth (second award), "Hand It Over"
• 1990: Guy Wishart, "Don't Take Me For Granted"
• 1991: Rikki Morris, "Heartbroke"
• 1992: Shona Laing (second award), "Mercy of Love"
• 1993: Dave Dobbyn (second award), "Belle of the Ball"
• 1994: Don McGlashan (The Mutton Birds), "Anchor Me"
• 1995: Mary Tierney, Paul Casserly, and Anthony Ioasa (Strawpeople), "Sweet Disorder"
• 1996: Bic Runga, "Drive"
• 1997: Greg Johnson, "Liberty"
• 1998: Dave Dobbyn (third award), "Beside You"
• 1999: Bill Urale (King Kapisi), "Reverse Resistance"
• 2000: Chris Knox: "My Only Friend"
• 2001: Neil Finn, "Turn and Run" (with Sheryl Crow)
• 2002: Che Ness (a.k.a. Che Fu) and Godfrey de Grut, "Misty Frequencies"
• 2003: Donald McNulty, Te Awanui Reeder, David Atai, Junior Rikiau and Feleti Strickson-Pua (Nesian Mystik), "For the People"
• 2004: Malo Luafutu (Scribe) and Peter Wadams (P-Money), "Not Many"
• 2005: Dan Hume, Peter Hume and Jon Hume (Evermore), "It's Too Late"
• 2006: Don McGlashan (second award), "Bathe in the River"
• 2007: Brooke Fraser, Albertine
• 2008: Jason Kerrison, Bobby Kennedy, Matt Treacy & Clinton Harris (Opshop), "One Day"
• 2009: James Milne & Luke Buda, "Apple Pie Bed"
• 2010: Aaron Short, Thom Powers & Alisa Xayalith (The Naked and Famous), "Young Blood"

Multiple Silver Scroll winners

• Dave Dobbyn (1987, 1993, 1998)
• Stephen Bell-Booth (1983, 1989)
• Ray Columbus (1966, 1973)
• John Hanlon (1974, 1975)
• Mike Harvey (1973, 1976)
• David Jordan (1968, 1969)
• Shona Laing (1988, 1992)
• Don McGlashan (1994, 2006)

Sounz Contemporary Award

• 1998 Eve de Castro-Robinson, "Chaos of Delight"
• 1999 Gillian Whitehead, "Outrageous Fortune"
• 2000 Ross Harris, "To the Memory of I. S. Totzka"
• 2001 Gillian Whitehead, "The Improbable Ordered Dance for Orchestra"
• 2002 John Psathas, "View From Olympus"
• 2003 Gillian Whitehead, "Alice"
• 2004 John Psathas, "Piano Concerto"
• 2005 Ross Harris, "Labyrinth for Tuba and Orchestra"
• 2006 Ross Harris, "Symphony No. 2"
• 2007 Eve de Castro-Robinson, "These Arms to Hold You"
• 2008 Chris Gendall, "Wax Lyrical"
• 2009 Ross Harris, "Symphony III"
• 2010 Chris Cree Brown, "Inner Bellow"

APRA Maioha Award

• 2003 Ngaiwi Apanui, "Wharikihia"
• 2004 Ruia Aperahama, "E Tae"
• 2005 Anituatua Black & Whirimako Black, "Tini Whetu"
• 2006 Richard Bennett, "E Hine"
• 2007 Andrea Tunks & Pierre Tohe, "Aio"
• 2008 Ruia Aperahama, "Rere Reta Rere Reta"
• 2009 Rewi Spraggon & Riki Bennett, "Tapapakanga"
• 2010 Jamie Greenslade aka maitreya, "Sin City"

Most Performed Work in New Zealand

• 1994 Neil Finn & Tim Finn, "Weather With You"
• 1995 Dave Dobbyn, "Language"
• 1996 Paul Fuemana & Alan Jansson, "How Bizarre"
• 1997 Bic Runga, "Sway"
• 1998 James Reid, "Supersystem"
• 1999 James Reid, "Venus"
• 2000 Boh Runga, "Violent"
• 2001 Julia Deans, "Lydia"
• 2002 Anika Moa, "Youthful"
• 2003 Geoffrey Maddock, Kirsten Morrelle, Joel Wilton, Ben King Andrew Clark, "Maybe Tomorrow"
• 2004 Brooke Fraser, "Better"
• 2005 Neil Finn & Tim Finn, "Won't Give In"
• 2006 James Reid, "Stand Up"
• 2007 Brooke Fraser, "Deciphering Me"
• 2008 Jason Kerrison, Bobby Kennedy, Matt Treacy & Clinton Harris (Opshop), "One Day"
• 2009 Jeremy Redmore, Simon Oscroft, Matthew Warman, Aidan Bartlett Nick Campbell (Midnight Youth), "The Letter"
• 2010 Dane Rumble, Te Awanui Reeder & Samuel King, "Cruel"

Most Performed Work Overseas

• 1994 Neil Finn & Tim Finn, "Weather With You"
• 1995 Neil Finn, "Don't Dream It's Over"
• 1996 Paul Fuemana & Alan Jansson, "How Bizarre"
• 1997 Paul Fuemana & Alan Jansson, "How Bizarre"
• 1998 Paul Fuemana & Alan Jansson, "How Bizarre"
• 1999 Paul Fuemana & Alan Jansson, "How Bizarre"
• 2000 Neil Finn, "Don't Dream It's Over"
• 2001 Neil Finn, "Don't Dream It's Over"
• 2002 Not presented
• 2003 Neil Finn, "Don't Dream It's Over"
• 2004 Neil Finn, "Don't Dream It's Over"
• 2005 Neil Finn, "Don't Dream It's Over"
• 2006 Neil Finn, "Don't Dream It's Over"
• 2007 Neil Finn, "Don't Dream It's Over"
• 2008 Neil Finn, "Don't Dream It's Over"
• 2009 Neil Finn, "Don't Dream It's Over"
• 2010 Neil Finn, "Don't Dream It's Over"

Airplay awards for New Zealand songs

As the body responsible for paying royalties, APRA also names the New Zealand songs most played in New Zealand and around the world each year. While the national award is very highly contested, the international airplay award has been monopolised by Neil Finn since Crowded House's Don't Dream It's Over went to #2 in the USA in 1986.

Most APRA New Zealand Awards

References

External resources

• APRA Australian Winners History
• Silver Scroll Winners History