The award saw the celebrated artist up against a host of talented musicians, including Jen Cloher, Paul Kelly, and HTMLflowers, with the winner judged by a selection of Australian music industry experts. Sampa the Great, aka Sampa Tembo, also took home $30,000 for winning the prize.
“I didn’t see any of this in my periphery when coming to Australia,” said Tembo. “It really means a lot to me. Thank you.”
Previous winners include AB Original, Courtney Barnett, and REMI – who Tembo collaborated with on the second track from her 2017 album, Birds and the BEE9.
(Feature image: Priit Siimon Creative)
