Awards and scholarships

Music awards and scholarships

Arts Queensland supports awards and scholarships through the Queensland Music Awards to recognise and celebrate emerging and established music artists.

Billy Thorpe Scholarship 

Named in honour of the late Queensland rock musician, Arts Queensland's $15,000 Billy Thorpe Scholarship supports an emerging contemporary musician or band with specialist career planning and advice, and the opportunity to record with a local producer. The Scholarship is funded by Arts Queensland and administered by QMusic.

Scholarship recipients: 

2025 Miles Nautu | 2024 Lottie McLeod | 2023 NEISH Music | 2022 Cloe Terare | 2021 Beckah Amani | 2020 Harry Phillips | 2019 Pool Shop (Jaimee Fryer) | 2018 Greta Stanley | 2017 Ash Kerley | 2016 Luke Daniel Peacock | 2015 Ayla | 2013 Jeremy Neale | 2012 Astrid and The Asteroids | 2011 Sam Hales | 2010 Andrew Redford | 2009 Alan Boyle | 2008 Michael Gavriel

Carol Lloyd Award

The $15,000 Carol Lloyd Award honours the late Carol Lloyd’s contribution to Queensland’s music scene and is presented to an emerging female identifying or non-binary singer-songwriter residing in Queensland. This award provides emerging artists a career head start, broadening their music industry experience. The Carol Lloyd Award is supported by Arts Queensland and APRA AMCOS.

Award recipients: 

2025 Dana Gehrman | 2024 Jo Davie | 2023 Platonic Sex | 2020 Hope D | 2019 Sahara Beck | 2018 Leanne Tennant | 2017 Georgia Potter (Moreton)

Grant McLennan Fellowship 

The $15,000 Grant McLennan Fellowship honours the late great Queensland singer-songwriter and founding members of the legendary Brisbane band The Go-Betweens, Grant McLennan. The scholarship offers a songwriter or songwriting duo the opportunity to travel overseas to develop their skills and career. The Grant McLennan Fellowship is funded by Arts Queensland and administered by QMusic. 

Fellowship recipients: 

2025 Wolfe Peterson | 2024 Georgia Potter | 2023 Sahara Beck | 2020 - postponed | 2019 Jack Bratt | 2018 Danny Harley (The Kite String Tangle) | 2017 Jeremy Neale | 2016 Hannah Macklin (MKO Sun) | 2015 Tim Steward | 2014 Thomas Calder | 2013 Seja Vogel | 2012 Louise O'Reilly and Paul Hannan | 2011 Scott Spark | 2010 Danny Widdicombe and Andrew Morris | 2009 Helen Franzmann (McKisko) | 2008 John Busby and Chris Dale | 2007 Greg Charles

Dennis ‘Mop’ Conlon Scholarship

The $15,000 Dennis ‘Mop’ Conlon Scholarship honours the contribution of the 'King of Murri Country', Dennis ‘Mop’ Conlon and supports an emerging Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander musician or band from Queensland to develop and record a song or series of songs.  The Dennis ‘Mop’ Conlon Scholarship is funded by Arts Queensland and administered by QMusic and delivered in partnership with Triple A Murri Country 98.9FM.

Scholarship recipients:

2025 Rudy Matoy | 2024 Kristal West | 2023 Dean Brady

Further information on these awards and scholarships is available from QMusic.  For enquiries, please contact QMusic on 3257 0013 or at info@qmusic.com.au.

Literary awards

The Arts Queensland Val Vallis Award, the Arts Queensland Thomas Shapcott Poetry Prize for an Unpublished Manuscript and the XYZ Prize for Innovation in Spoken Word are administered on behalf of Arts Queensland by the Queensland Writer’s Centre.

Arts Queensland Val Vallis Award for an Unpublished Poem

Named in honour of a distinguished Queensland poet, the Arts Queensland Val Vallis Award for an unpublished poem recognises and celebrates the work of Australian poets.

Arts Queensland Thomas Shapcott Poetry Prize for an Unpublished Manuscript

Named in honour of a distinguished Queensland poet, the Arts Queensland Thomas Shapcott Poetry Prize for an unpublished manuscript is committed to encouraging emerging Queensland poets.

XYZ Prize for Innovation in Spoken Word

Named after the 2010 Arts Queensland Poet in Residence, Emily XYZ, the XYZ Prize for Innovation in Spoken Word is Australia’s only arts award that recognises the field of spoken word.

Further information about these prizes is available from the Queensland Writers Centre.

Arts Queensland also sponsors several prizes through the Queensland Literary Awards, celebrating emerging and established authors across a range of genres.

Performing Arts Awards

Arts Queensland supports the Matilda Awards recognising excellence in the performing arts sector. The Matilda Awards have honoured and celebrated the achievements of Queensland’s performing arts sector since 1987, with Arts Queensland providing support since 2003. The Matilda Award currently comprise around 20 categories, including awards for leading productions, as well as individual awards in areas such as costumes, sets, lighting, video, composition, direction and performance. The Gold Matilda is presented to a standout individual, company or production and is presented by the Minister for the Arts.