The Premier announced plans in March to establish a scholarship to honour Australian musician Billy Thorpe who died earlier in the month.

Billy spent his formative years in Brisbane and made an enormous contribution to the Australian music industry. The annual $10,000 Billy Thorpe Scholarship, to be administered by Arts Queensland, will support the education and training of aspiring Queensland musicians.

Details of the Billy Thorpe Scholarship will be announced after consultation with the Thorpe family and members of the Queensland music community.

Following the consultation process, Arts Queensland will develop guidelines and application forms. It is anticipated the scholarship will be ready for public launch by the end of June.

The plan to establish the Billy Thorpe Scholarship follows on the heels of the inaugural $20,000 Grant McLennan Memorial Fellowship for talented Queensland-based songwriters.

The $20,000 Grant McLennan Memorial Fellowship offers a talented Queensland-based songwriter a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to choose a stay in London, New York or Berlin to immerse themselves in the vibrant cultural and music scene found within each of these cities.

This Fellowship, developed in accordance with his family’s wishes, reflects Grant McLennan’s belief that exposure to other cultures was an invaluable creative influence for his own songwriting.

Applications closed at the end of March with the winner to be announced in July.

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