$82,500 in funding for 11 established composers from Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand
Applications are open now until Monday 16 February 2026
APRA AMCOS, in partnership with the Australian Music Centre (AMC) and SOUNZ Centre for New Zealand Music, has announced that the 2026 Art Music Fund is now open for submissions.
The Fund provides AU$7,500 each for 11 established composers, nine from Australia and two from Aotearoa New Zealand, to create commissioned work with the intention of ensuring a long artistic life for the work and its composer.
Partners in the work can include ensembles, orchestras, producers, recording companies, broadcasters, festivals and other parties with the aim of guaranteed multiple exposures by way of performances, recordings, broadcasts or digital dissemination.
The Fund was launched in 2016 in recognition of the limited opportunities for art music composers to have new works performed. It directly funds new work and provides winning composers with professional support to grow their repertoire in a sustainable way.
Previous winners have included Biddy Connor, Cat Hope, Christine Pan, Dylan Lardelli, Erkki Veltheim, Liza Lim, Megan Alice Clune, Mindy Meng Wang and Phoebe Bognar.
A wide range of music styles are supported by the Fund including notated composition; electroacoustic music; improvised music; jazz; sound art; installation sound; multimedia, web and film sound and music; and theatrical, operatic and choreographed music. Each entry will be assessed by an external panel of musicians from a diverse mix of cultures, gender, geography, generation and genre.