Grant McLennan Fellowship 2016 Finalists Announced

The finalists for this year's annual Queensland musicians' prize, the Grant McLennan Fellowship, have been decided, it has been announced.

Up for the $25,000 award in 2016 are celebrated songwriters from a diversity of backgrounds and genres, including QMA-winning songstress Leanne Tennant, indie-rock king and 2013 finalist Jeremy Neale, soul-pop chanteuse Bec Laughton and the electric Hannah Macklin, of MKO SUN.

The winner of the prize will receive the chance to travel to New York, London or Berlin for up to half a year in order to fully immerse themselves in their chosen city's vibrant cultural scene and leverage their stay into creative inspiration and experience.

The Grant McLennan Fellowship has been a yearly fixture of Qld's live-music community since its inaugural iteration in 2007, when it was awarded to local songwriter Greg Charles. Consequent winners have included the likes of John Busby and Chris Dale (Halfway, 2008), Danny Widdicombe and Andrew Morris (The Wilson Pickers, 2010), Scott Spark (2011), Seja Vogel (2013) and Timothy Steward (We All Want To, Screamfeeder, 2015), among others, so whoever takes out the 2016 prize from among this year's esteemed crop of finalists, they'll be in exceedingly good company in the winners' list.

Anybody with a passing familiarity with Australian music history understands how cherished a name "Grant McLennan" truly is; as a co-founder of The Go-Betweens, his distinct touch is indelibly imprinted across local alt-rock history. As a songwriter, he was wholly or partially responsible for several iconic tunes that inimitably encapsulated the indomitable Queensland culture — yes, there is one, smarty-pants — and irrepressible spirit.

The winner of the 2016 Grant McLennan Fellowship will be announced at a ceremony to be held at The Triffid, Brisbane, on Friday 2 December, featuring performances from this year's finalists as well as local icons Halfway, Dan Kelly, The Stress Of Leisure and Adele Pickvance, all as part of "Streets Of Your Town: A Tribute To The Go-Betweens".

This year's prize will be decided by a judging panel comprising veteran community identities Sean Sennett, Sally McLennan, Ian Haug and Adele Pickvance.

For more information, see QMusic's website.