Here at CutCommon, we’re excited to reveal the results of the inaugural CutCommon Young Writer of the Year Competition.
Congratulations to our winner Myles Oakey, and runners-up Erin Heycox and Paul Ballam-Cross!
Starting in February, we received entries from music lovers and writers between 18-30 years old from across Australia. Submissions showed a great degree of talent; personal voice was strong, and the writing engaging and beautifully constructed. All those who entered were asked to write a blog-style response to the question: Genre orders our bookshops, CD libraries, and digital playlists. What use does genre have in the contemporary musical setting?.
The 2016 CutCommon Young Writer of the Year will have his writing featured across all areas of CutCommon, receive mentoring along with professional editing and proofing from Stephanie Eslake (Editor) and Lucy Rash (Deputy Editor), a CD and DVD prize pack, and the opportunity to join the CutCommon team.
We’ll share Myles’ writing during CutCommon Young Writers’ Month this June, along with the original blog entries from our two runners-up.
Stay tuned in the next few weeks for an in-depth feature profile on our winner.
2016 CUTCOMMON YOUNG WRITER OF THE YEAR
MYLES OAKEY
Myles Oakey is in his fourth year of a Bachelor of Music/Bachelor of Education at the University of New South Wales. He loves playing classical guitar – though he’s also studied jazz and contemporary music. Myles is a member of the UNSW Balinese gamelan ensemble Suwitra Jaya. He took two educational trips to Bali, during which he performed at the Bali Arts Festival in 2015. Myles received the Dean’s List Award in 2014-15. This year, he won the Honours Bursary Award for Music and it’s allowed him to undertake additional research in the field of ethnography in music. His dream is to pursue a career in music research by “writing ethnographies that capture the diversity of musical activity and experience in music-making”. We can’t wait to bring you his writing during our Young Writers’ Month this June, and you can read all about his passion for music journalism during our profile feature in the coming weeks.
RUNNERS-UP
ERIN HEYCOX
Erin Heycox studied a Bachelor of Music from the University of Melbourne, majoring in Violin Performance with minors in Creative Writing and Theatre. A year later, she graduated with a Master of Teaching and works in leading roles at Melton Secondary College. Erin attended the Australian Youth Orchestra Words About Music program in 2013, and has written reviews and interviews for the Student Union Theatre Melbourne University, and presented and produced radio shows at SYN Media.
PAUL BALLAM-CROSS
Queensland composer Paul Ballam-Cross has a Bachelor of Music in Performance from Griffith University, a Master of Information Studies from the University of Canberra, and is studying a Master of Philosophy in Musicology at the University of Queensland. He regularly reviews for Limelight Magazine, is a presenter at 4MBS Classic FM, and is a tutor and lecturer at various institutions.
Read their words during CutCommon Young Writers’ Month this June.
Images supplied.
