Submissions open for the 2016 Australian Jazz Bell Awards

Bells---wideThe 2016 Australian Jazz Bell Awards are under way, as submissions are open for this year’s nominations. The process is slightly different this year, as the Awards are now part of the newly founded Australian Jazz Academy. There have also been some changes to the categories, unifying different sub-genres. For more details, here is the media release:

 

“Submissions open today for the 2016 Australian Jazz Bell Awards, the only awards in Australia to acknowledge excellence specifically for jazz performance, creativity and presentation.

 

Celebrating its 13th year in 2016, the Awards recognise the exceptional talent of the Australian jazz community and are widely regarded as the Australian jazz industry’s most respected and highly anticipated awards.

 

The Bells, named in honour of one of the greats in Australian jazz – the late Graeme Bell, MBE AO – feature new award categories in 2016 and a prize pool of $40,000.

 

Australian Jazz Bell Awards founder and prominent jazz musician Albert Dadon AM said there is also a new submission process in which jazz enthusiasts can vote across the eight Award categories.

Mr Dadon is the founder and chairman of The Australian Jazz Awards Limited (a not-for-profit arts organisation), and led the inaugural Australian Jazz Bell Awards in 2003.

 

The prestigious Australian Jazz Bell Awards honour the jazz art form in Australia, recognising the achievements of young and established Australian jazz performers and composers, Mr Dadon said.

 

There have been changes to the submission process for the 2016 Bell Awards. To be considered for submission in 2016 you must be a member of the Australian Jazz Academy or have a member of the Academy endorse your project.

 

See www.australianjazzacademy.org.au for more details on membership.

For the first time, Australian Jazz Academy members will have the opportunity to influence the outcome of the submission process by casting their votes in all Award categories.

 

Each category title in this year’s Awards rewards the winner (or collective winners) with $5000 prize money.

 

These are the categories now open for submissions for the 2016 Australian Jazz Bell Awards:

 

  • Best Australian Jazz Vocal Album
  • Best Instrumental Jazz Album
  • Best Produced Album
  • Best Australian Jazz Song/Composition of the Year
  • Best Australian Small Jazz Band (Up to 6 members)
  • Best Australian Jazz Ensemble
  • Young Australian Jazz Artist of the Year (For musicians up to and including 25 years of age)
  • Graeme Bell Hall of Fame (Recognising outstanding artistic achievement and contribution to Australian jazz by a living artist)

The submission form and guidelines can be downloaded from www.bellawards.org