Each year, the Grant McLennan Fellowship bestows one lucky Queensland musician with the opportunity to take their career to the next level through offering the chance for them to spend six months in their choice of New York, Berlin or London.
Named for late, great singer-songwriter and Go-Betweens co-frontman Grant McLennan, the fellowship is worth a career-changing $25,000, with its destination cities chosen for both their personal significance to McLennan himself as well as the fact that all three possess world-renowned, vibrant musical cultures like very few others.
Last year's winner, Hannah Macklin (of MKO Sun), has chosen to complete her fellowship in New York from this August, and conveyed in a statement her excitement about undergoing the experience.
"I can't wait to immerse myself in a city that is constantly whirring with activity, then return to my brownstone apartment in Bedford-Stuyvesant, BK, and bunker down for daily songwriting sessions," she said.
Founded in 2007, the fellowship is open to any musician aged 21 or over who is an Australian citizen or permanent resident living in Queensland, and who is a member of APRA AMCOS.
Artists must also have an ABN and, if they've previously won a grant through Arts Queensland, must have satisfied the reporting requirements for that funding before applying for the fellowship.
Additionally, only one application per round will be accepted — so, for example, songwriting duos who apply cannot also submit individual entries for consideration.
Previous winners have included Tim Steward (We All Want To, Screamfeeder), Thomas Calder (The Trouble With Templeton), Seja Vogel, Louise O'Reilly and Paul Hannan (Laneway), Scott Spark, Danny Widdicombe and Andrew Morris (The Wilson Pickers), Helen Franzmann (McKisko), John Busby and Chris Dale (Halfway) and Greg Charles, who was the recipient of the very first fellowship a decade ago.
The state government (through Arts Queensland) and APRA AMCOS are crucial partners in the fellowship, with Arts Minister and Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk paying tribute to McLennan's lasting legacy on the state's songwriting community.
"The musical works Grant created remain a source of great inspiration for songwriters," she said in a statement. "Ten years on from the Fellowship’s creation, it continues to provide pathways for developing songwriters who are seeking the experiences that will help them reach their potential."
APRA AMCOS head of member services Dean Ormston added: "It's so important to support and invest in the next generation of songwriters. Grant was one of our best! We're really pleased to be able to recognise Grant's songwriting and ongoing influence through this fellowship."
Applications for the 2017 Grant McLennan Fellowship are open till Monday 18 September.
For full details on eligibility requirements and other entry guidelines, see QMusic's website.
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