Paul Lowin Prizes Open For Entries

Entries are open for the 2022 Paul Lowin Orchestral and Song Cycle Prizes. Entries must be submitted by 5pm AEST on Thursday 7 July, 2022. There are two prizes on offer:

• The Paul Lowin Orchestral Prize – $25,000
• The Paul Lowin Song Cycle Prize – $15,000

The Orchestral Prize is awarded for a work for modern chamber or symphony orchestra of at least 30 players and 15 independent lines. The work may include instrumental or vocal soloists and/or choral, electronically produced or pre-recorded elements.

The Song Cycle Prize will be awarded to a work suitable for chamber performance, using no more than 1-8 independent vocal lines, and accompanied by up to 10 instrumental players.

Run by Perpetual and the Australian Music Centre, the Paul Lowin Prizes are deemed to be one of Australia’s richest prizes in music composition. Since 1991, its history of winning and highly commended works tells a powerful story of the skill and creativity of Australian composers and marks the wide breadth of contemporary musical expression. Past winners of the orchestral prize have included Nigel Butterley, Brett Dean and Liza Lim. Andrew Schultz, Andrew Ford and Brenton Broadstock have won the song cycle prize in the past.

The Paul Lowin Prizes were last offered in 2019, where the major prizes were awarded to Nigel Westlake (Orchestral Prize) and Katy Abbott (Song Cycle Prize). Across both categories, works by Lachlan Skipworth, Brett Dean, Elliott Gyger, and Luke Styles were highly commended, earning recognition against a competition of close to 100 entries.

Guidelines and submissions
Anyone can nominate works, including composers, publishers, and the general public. The full guidelines for the 2022 Paul Lowin Prizes can be viewed on the AMC website.