New Zealand Music Award for Critics' Choice Prize

The Critics' Choice Prize was a New Zealand Music Awards prize awarded to New Zealand musical artists who were expected to be successful in the music industry in the future. To be eligible for the award, an artist must have neither released a studio album nor have been nominated for a New Zealand Music Award in the past.[1]

Critics' Choice Prize
Awarded forUp-and-coming acts in New Zealand music
LocationKing's Arms Tavern
CountryNew Zealand
Presented byRecorded Music New Zealand
Reward(s)$10,000 NZ On Air grant, $2000 music voucher, industry mentoring
First awarded2010
Last awarded2016
Websitenzmusicawards.co.nz/category/events/critics-choice-prize/
New Zealand Music Awards

The prize was judged by a panel of 13 music-industry critics. The winner was decided at a live event held at the Kings Arms tavern in Auckland. Each of the three shortlisted artists performs, then the judges deliberated and the prize was presented. The prize included a $10,000 NZ On Air grant and mentoring from industry professionals.[2][3] The prize was first awarded in 2010 to Street Chant and last awarded in 2016 to Scuba Diva. In 2017, Recorded Music New Zealand confirmed that the Critic's Choice Prize would not be awarded that year and the award would be reevaluated.[4]

Recipients

edit
Year Date Artist Other nominees Ref.
2010 15 September Street Chant [5]
2011 6 October Kimbra
  • Popstrangers
  • The Unfaithful Ways
[6]
2012 17 October Watercolours
  • Beach Pigs
  • Loui The Zu
[7]
2013 6 November Sheep, Dog & Wolf
  • Janine and the Mixtape
  • Paquin
[8]
2014 29 October Randa
  • Estere
  • Lake South
[9]
2015 5 November Bespin
  • Boycrush
  • New Gum Sarn
[10]
2016 2 November Scuba Diva
  • Kane Strang
  • Spycc & INF
[11][12]
2017 No award was presented in 2017 [4]

References

edit
  1. ^ "NZ Music awards set for changes". The New Zealand Herald. APN News & Media. 22 July 2010. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
  2. ^ "Critics Choice Prize". NZMA. Archived from the original on 18 October 2012. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
  3. ^ "Critics Choice Prize 2012". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  4. ^ a b "Rock is dead! (And other thoughts on the VNZMA finalists)". The Spinoff. The Spinoff. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  5. ^ Sundae, Hugh (16 September 2010). "Street Chant win inaugural Critics' Choice Prize". The New Zealand Herald. APN News & Media. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
  6. ^ "Kimbra takes home Critics' Choice Prize". NZ Herald. 7 October 2011. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  7. ^ "2012 Critics' Choice Prize winner announced". Four. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  8. ^ Jenkin, Lydia (22 October 2013). "NZ Music Awards: And the nominees are..." NZ Herald. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  9. ^ Duff, Michelle (30 October 2014). "Rapper Randa wins Critics' Choice gong". NZ Herald. APN. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  10. ^ "Critics' Choice Prize finalists face off tonight". NZ Herald. NZMA. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  11. ^ "CRITICS' CHOICE PRIZE 2016". NZ Music Awards. Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  12. ^ "Lorde's keyboardist wins NZ Critics' Choice Prize". NZ Herald. NZME. Retrieved 2 November 2016.