The hunt for Australia’s next music star has begun with entries now open for the New Music Competition, a highlight of the 44th annual St Kilda Festival, running from 15-16 February 2025.
Aspiring musicians have until Wednesday, 18 September, to submit two original songs. Entrants must also have a 30-minute set of original material ready to perform at the Festival. There is no cost to enter, and full details are available on the St Kilda Festival website.
Up to 10 emerging artists will take to the New Music Stage on Day Two of the Festival, performing in front of a lively audience in the beachside neighbourhood. The act that wins the audience’s vote will receive a $5,000 cash prize and secure a spot on one of the key stages at St Kilda Festival in 2025.
St Kilda Festival’s 2025 New Music Competition
- Entries open until 18 September
- Two original songs required
- 10 artists to perform on the New Music Stage
- $5,000 cash prize for the winner
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Proudly presented by the City of Port Phillip, St Kilda Festival is Australia’s largest free community festival. It has a history of discovering and nurturing fresh talent, offering a platform for emerging artists to share their music with an enthusiastic audience.
Since its inception in 2007, the New Music Competition has helped launch the careers of some of Australia’s most esteemed artists, including Missy Higgins, Baker Boy, and Client Liaison. Baker Boy, the 2018 winner, has since performed at the 2021 AFL Grand Final, won ‘Artist of the Year’ and ‘Album of the Year’ at the 2022 National Indigenous Music Awards, toured internationally, and collaborated with artists like Bernard Fanning, G Flip, and Powderfinger.
“Each year, the high calibre of entrants to the New Music Competition demonstrates the abundance of creativity and talent in the Australian live music scene. We’re always proud to showcase a diverse selection of up-and-comers at the Festival, creating opportunities for emerging artists to be on the bill at a major music event and providing audiences with a chance to see budding talent they otherwise might not discover,” said St Kilda Festival Lead, Sullivan Patten.
St Kilda Festival brings significant economic benefits to St Kilda, celebrates and promotes Australian talent, and consistently attracts more than 350,000 visitors to the foreshore. The Festival also enhances St Kilda’s reputation as a live music hub, a status strengthened by the Council’s 2023 declaration of parts of St Kilda as Victoria’s first live music precinct.
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