The APRA Professional Development Awards (PDAs) are presented biennially by APRA to the ‘shining lights’ within our songwriting industry. The Awards offer a significant cash prize and recognition to music writers in the early stages of their careers.
There are three PDAs awarded each round, each receiving $12,000 cash to advance their careers through study or travel.
The APRA Professional Development Awards (PDAs) were first awarded in Australia in 2001 to mark APRA's 75th Anniversary. New Zealand presented its first PDA in 2005. The awards were received so enthusiastically by the music industry that the APRA board decided to make the PDAs a permanent fixture on the APRA cultural calendar. As a result, APRA now offers eleven PDAs across Australasia to promising emerging music writers in the early stages of their careers.