Picture the image of a classical music journalist in your mind. What do they look like? What kind of training have they had? What kind of music do they like, or dislike? Now, wipe that image away. We’re here to challenge it.
– Lucy Rash, Deputy Editor, CutCommon
As the fresh year dawns, CutCommon continues to challenge long-held expectations of what music journalism is, and should be.
The result is the launch of the inaugural CutCommon Young Writer of the Year Competition. Aspiring young music writers will have the opportunity to submit a folio and showcase their skills on a national platform.
In a CutCommon first, the winning writer will feature online in CutCommon Young Writers’ Month this June.
At CutCommon, we believe writing isn’t just about the construction of sentences. It’s about observation; the conception and expression of ideas, new and old. It’s about cultivating a box full of tools, and using it to construct a new picture of something we’ve always seen and thought to be true.
Do you agree? Or do you want to challenge that thought?
Join us.
As 2016 CutCommon Young Writer of the Year, you will feature in a personal Q&A profile on the CutCommon website and, during Young Writers’ Month, will receive:
- The opportunity to have your work featured across all areas of CutCommon including: feature articles, blogs, live performance and/or CD reviews (dependent on winner’s location)
- Professional editing and proofing of your submitted folio
- Month-long guidance and mentoring from our editorial team
- A CD and DVD prize pack featuring major labels such as Universal Music, Deutsche Grammophon, and ABC Classics
- The opportunity to join the CutCommon team
To enter, send your CV to editor@cutcommon.com along with a written response to the following question (min 400 words):
Genre orders our bookshops, CD libraries, and digital playlists. What use does genre have in the contemporary musical setting?
Entries close 10 April. The winner will be announced on 30 April and contacted in the week before.
Conditions of entry:
-You must be an Australian resident aged 18-30 years to enter. No experience required, just a passion for music and writing.
-The finalist must be available to participate in CutCommon Young Writers’ Month this June. Stories in the categories mentioned will be prepared through May and June, with negotiable deadlines for publication.
-The finalist will engage in regular correspondence with the Editor and Deputy Editor regarding these stories, but may enter from any location across Australia.
-Your written entry and all other contributions must be your own work.
-All judging decisions are final.
About CutCommon
Street press publication CutCommon is the leading source of information for young makers and lovers of classical music in Australia. The vision? To provide a common ground for those who dare to cut away from the mainstream.
As an independent musician creating new Australian music the support of CutCommon has been indispensable. It can be hard, almost impossible, to get mainstream media coverage for new Australian independent classical music. By providing high quality reviews, articles and interviews on Australian music, CutCommon has become a unique and accessible voice for the Australian classical musician and a vital source of quality publicity for the independent artist.
– saxophonist Nicholas Russoniello, 2011 ABC Young Performer of the Year
CutCommon plays an active role in supporting performances by reviewing and promoting the work of many Australian artists and arts organisations.
– David Rowden, Omega Ensemble Artistic Director
I believe that CutCommon has a unique and important voice in the Australian media landscape. Music and the arts are not covered adequately by mainstream media, so CutCommon provides a valuable source of news, reports, and reviews. These are delivered by credible and authoritative members of the industry. CutCommon is also increasing the accessibility of music and the arts among a younger audience. It is Australia’s only source of information by young people, for young people.
– Ben Nielsen, ABC Classic FM
Image Sarah Reid via Flickr, CC2.0.
