Rules
2012 Art Music Awards
Presented by APRA and the Australian Music Centre.
Rules of Nomination and Award – Nominations accepted for 2009 and 2010 Calendar Year
A. THE AWARDS
1. Nine national Awards will be given:
- Work of the Year: Orchestral
- Work of the Year: Instrumental
- Work of the Year: Vocal/Choral
- Work of the Year: Jazz
- Performance of the Year
- Award for Excellence by an Organisation or an Individual
- Award for Excellence in Music Education
- Award for Excellence in a Regional Area
- Award for Excellence in Experimental Music (for works, people or events)
An additional category is awarded at the discretion of the Board of Directors of APRA and AMC for:
- Distinguished Services to Australian Music.
2. For each State or Territory, one Award will be given from one of the following nine categories:
- Work of the Year: Orchestral
- Work of the Year: Instrumental
- Work of the Year: Vocal/Choral
- Work of the Year: Jazz
- Performance of the Year
- Award for Excellence by an Organisation or an Individual
- Award for Excellence in Music Education
- Award for Excellence in a Regional Area
- Award for Excellence in Experimental Music (for works, people or events)
3. The Awards will be in the form of a certificate or trophy suitably inscribed.
B. ELIGIBILITY AND DEFINITIONS
1. Nominations for the Work of the Year categories are accepted by APRA and AMC members as well as industry organisations and companies such as educational institutions, broadcasters, retail outlets, recording studios, promoters, etc.
a. The work must have been composed by an Australian citizen or by a composer who has permanent residence in Australia.
b. The work must have been performed publicly (i.e. by concert performance or broadcast) within the two years prior to the Award (i.e. 2009 and 2010). If the work received its FIRST performance in 2009 and 2010, it may have been completed at any time previously. If the work did not receive its first performance in 2009 and 2010 it must have been completed in the three years prior to the year of the Award (i.e. 2006, 2007 or 2008).
c. Orchestral: Works written for orchestra, symphony orchestra, with/without soloist, with/without electronics.
d. Instrumental: Works written for solo, duo, trio, small ensemble and chamber works, with/without electronics.
e. Vocal: Works written for vocal ensemble, soloist, choral works and dramatic works, with/without electronics.
f. Jazz: Works include contemporary jazz and improvised music styles.
2. For Performance of the Year nominations:
a. The performance must have taken place publicly in the two years prior to that of the Award (i.e. 2009 and 2010).
b. The performance may have taken place anywhere in the world.
c. The performers need not be citizens or permanent residents of Australia.
d. The work must have been composed by an Australian citizen or by a composer with permanent residence in Australia.
e. There is no requirement on a year of composition or completion (heritage works are eligible).
f. Public broadcast is eligible as a public performance.
g. Nominations of performances of non score-based works are also encouraged.
3. The Award of Excellence categories are for the following:
Organisation or Individual; Music Education; Regional Area; and Experimental Music:
a. Recordings and recording projects are eligible for any of the Award for Excellence categories.
b. Awards are made for activities which took place in the two years prior to the awards ceremony (i.e. 2009 and 2010).
c. In the case of the Award for Excellence in a Regional Area, the nominee must be based in a town or city outside the state’s capital.
d. The NEW Experimental Music Award is for Australian works, people and/or events in the field of experimental, electronica, improvised music, sound installations, multimedia and sound art.
4. General considerations:
a. Submissions for awards nominations will be accepted online. Online application form is located at http://www.australianmusiccentre.com.au/awards/nomination
b. Nominations will be deemed ineligible if they are not accompanied by appropriate documentation (as outlined in D 2, 3, 4 and 5).
c. Nominations will be deemed ineligible if nominees do not grant permission for the nomination to be publicly acknowledged and a recording broadcast.
C. ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
1. Compositions will be assessed as to their quality, on the basis of materials supplied with the nomination form. Consideration may be given in the assessment to: compositional craft, creativity or originality, and excellence or quality.
2. Performances will be assessed as to their quality and their achievement in revealing the nature and intention of the works, based on the materials supplied by the nominator. In assessing performances, no other criteria should apply.
D. NOMINATION PROCEDURES
1. Submissions will be accepted online, application form can be located at http://www.australianmusiccentre.com.au/ awards/nomination. Documentation (word and PDF ), scores (in PDF format), sound files (in MP3, AIFF and WAV file formats, please keep file size small) can be uploaded online along with the application form. Please submit DVD’s by post directly to the Australian Music Centre.
2. Each nomination must be a separate online application. If a work is nominated in more than one category/ies, separate online applications and supporting materials should be provided. For the Work of the Year and Performance of the Year categories only one nomination can be submitted in each category/ies.
3. Each nomination must contain enough supporting material for judges to make an appropriate assessment. Materials to be submitted for nominations in each category are (please note audio cassettes or VHS tapes will not be accepted):
a. Works of the Year categories:
- Recordings (DVD please submit [by post] to AMC, CD file formats: MP3, AIFF , WAV, WMA, please keep file size small); or other materials appropriate for assessment
- Abstract of up to 500 words presenting the case for the nomination;
- Scores must be submitted for score-based nominations (in PDF file format).
b. Performance of the Year:
- Recordings (DVD please submit [by post] to AMC, CD file formats: MP3, AIFF , WAV, WMA, please keep file size small); and score or other appropriate material; other information regarding the performance such as program notes or description of the performance;
- Abstract of up to 500 words presenting the case for the nomination.
c. Award for Excellence by an Organisation or an Individual:
- Documentation supporting the nomination;
- Abstract of up to 500 words presenting the case for the nomination.
d. Award for Excellence in Music Education:
- Documentation supporting the nomination;
- Abstract of up to 500 words presenting the case for the nomination.
e. Award for Excellence in a Regional Area:
- Documentation supporting the nomination;
- Abstract of up to 500 words presenting the case for the nomination.
f. Award for Excellence in Experimental Music (for works, people or events):
- Documentation supporting the nomination.
- Abstract of up to 500 words presenting the case for the nomination.
4. Supporting materials should represent the achievements of the nominee in the two previous calendar years (i.e. 2009 and 2010).
5. Materials submitted with nominations will remain the property of the Australian Music Centre unless otherwise arranged.
E. DECISION MAKING PROCEDURES
1. The State and Territory Awards will be decided by a State or Territory Committee.
2. The National Awards will be decided by National Committees.
3. On the basis of the recorded and written materials provided by the nominators, each member of each National Committee will submit rankings of the works/projects/ensembles nominated in each category which will be collated by the Chair to determine the winner in each category.
4. The combined National Committees will meet by telephone conference to ratify the outcomes. Should two nominations be placed equally as winners, the Committee will choose by one vote each. Should the vote be tied the Chair has the casting vote.
5. All Committees may reserve the right not to make an Award in any single or collective category.
6. Decisions reached by the National Awards Panel and the Committees from each State or Territory are final and no discussion regarding the result shall be entered into.
F. APPOINTMENT OF NATIONAL PANEL AND STATE / TERRITORY COMMITTEES
1. National
a. A National Award Panel will be appointed by the Board of the Australian Music Centre.
b. From the National Award Panel there will be a National Committee for each of the nine Award categories, with each Committee consisting of two specialists from at least two states for each category, and the National Awards Panel Chair.
2. State/Territory
The Chair of each State or Territory Committee is selected by the Board of the Australian Music Centre. AMC management will, in consultation with the Chair, convene the members of the Committee. The Chair will be responsible for all operations of the Committee.
3. All Committees
a. Both National Award Panel and State/Territory Committees will be broadly representative of current national new music practices, and the various sectors of the relevant music community, and members will have a high credibility in the music community and the community at large in the Award category they are assessing. The stylistic allegiances of Committee members should be seen collectively to cover a wide range of practices and media.
b. Committee members need not necessarily be financial members of the AMC.
c. Committees will have an odd number of members.
d. A Committee may not include any member who is a direct subject of a nomination to it. Should such a situation arise, either the nomination must be withdrawn or the Committee member must resign, and be replaced.
e. Any Committee member with a conflict of interest should declare the conflict and abstain from any discussion or vote pertaining to the nomination from which the conflict arises.
f. The Chair will have a casting vote.
g. Membership of all Committees will be published at the time of the Awards announcements.
h. The membership of the Committee should vary from year to year.
G. INFORMATION, ADVICE AND DISPUTES
For assistance with information, advice, or the resolution of disputes relating to the Awards and the State and National Committee Chairs and members, contact the Executive of the Australian Music Centre, who may respond directly or refer the matter to the Australian Music Centre Board or independent arbitrator.
H. CONTACT
Philippa Horn, Marketing Coordinator, Australian Music Centre (02) 9247 4677