Emerging talent sits alongside some of the most prominent names in New Zealand music in this year’s rich and varied list of the Top 20 songs vying for the coveted APRA Silver Scroll Award.

The 2017 APRA Silver Scroll Award Top 20 are:

Close Your Eyes, written by Bic Runga and Kody Nielson, performed by Bic Runga

Cold Steel, written and performed by Troy Kingi and Mara TK

Don’t Worry ‘Bout It, written by Kingdon Chapple-Wilson, performed by Kings

Green Light, written by Ella Yelich-O’Connor, Jack Antonoff, and Joel Little, performed by Lorde

Hate Somebody written by Nick Johnston, Philip Hadfield, Brent Harris, performed by Cut Off Your Hands

Horizon, written by Hannah Topp, performed by Aldous Harding

Hundred Waters, written by Grayson Gilmour and Cory Champion, performed by Grayson Gilmour

If Only, written by Te Karehana Toi, performed by Teeks

I Know Not Where I Stand, written and performed by Shayne P Carter

Liability, written by Ella Yelich-O’Connor and Jack Antonoff, performed by Lorde

Life of the Party,  written by Chelsea Jade Metcalf and Leroy James Clampitt, performed by Chelsea Jade

Little Did She Know, written by INF aka Amon McGoram, SPYCC aka Daniel Latu, and SmokeyGotBeatz aka Isaiah Libeau, performed by SWIDT

Lucky Girl, written by Amelia Murray and Gareth Thomas, performed by Fazerdaze

O Heathcote, written by James Milne, performed by Lawrence Arabia

One and Only, written by Brooke Singer, performed by French For Rabbits

Rainbow, written by Louis Baker and Bradford Ellis, performed by Louis Baker

Richard, written and performed by Nadia Reid

Sober, written and performed by Lydia Cole

Sunday Best, written and performed by Seth Haapu

Urutaa written by Lewis de Jong, Henry de Jong, Ethan Trembath, performed by Alien Weaponry

This Top 20 list was chosen from over 200 entries by a jury of 11 fellow songwriters, who have each made wonderful contributions to NZ songwriting themselves.  The jury for 2017 was Anji Sami (She’s So Rad/Sami Sisters), Buzz Moller (Voom), Chris van de Geer (Stellar, Bigpop Studios), Devin Abrams (Pacific Heights/Shapeshifter), Godfrey de Grut (Che Fu/The New Loungehead), Jane de Jong (Ruby Frost), Julia Deans, Hollie Fullbrook (Tiny Ruins), Phil Bell (DJ Sir-vere), Rob Ruha, Sandy Mill (SJD/The Bellbirds). 

Widely considered the most prestigious accolade in New Zealand music, the APRA Silver Scroll Award recognises outstanding achievement in the craft of songwriting, and the responsibility now falls to APRA’s almost 10,000 New Zealand members to choose the best song of 2017.

All members are now invited to vote for the top five songs from this list of 20.

Past recipients of the esteemed award include a long list of iconic Kiwi music stalwarts - from Dave Dobbyn, Don McGlashan and Shona Laing to Neil Finn, Bic Runga, and Ray Columbus. They’re joined by a younger generation of music makers that include James Milne & Luke Buda, Ella Yelich-O’Connor (Lorde) & Joel Little, and Aaron Young, Alisa Xayalith & Thom Powers (The Naked and Famous).

The APRA Silver Scroll Award will be presented at Dunedin Town Hall in Dunedin on Thursday 28th September. The other awards presented on the night are:

●      APRA Maioha Award, celebrating exceptional waiata featuring te reo 

●      SOUNZ Contemporary Award, celebrating excellence in contemporary composition

●      APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film Award

●      APRA Best Original Music in a Series Award 

As a part of the celebrations APRA will also be inducting a songwriter/s into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame.