The 2021 APRA Professional Development Award recipients have been announced with Emi Pogoni, Jolyon Mulholland, Lisa Crawley, Maree Sheehan, Phodiso Dintwe and Valentine Nixon rewarded. 

Every two years the PDAs are presented to NZ songwriters and composers who have demonstrated a passionate work ethic in their field, alongside a commitment to their craft through discipline and motivation. Recipient get a prize of $5000 intended to help emerging artists engage in songwriting workshops, music education courses, composer seminars, participate in co-writing opportunities and attend other relevant activities domestically or internationally.

• Emi Pogoni – An artist with experience in composition, sound design and music direction. She intends to build upon her compositional practice and delve into the world of artificial intelligence technology. 
• Jol Mulholland – The multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, sound engineer and session musician will travel to Wellington to be mentored in orchestration by composer Rhian Sheehan. 
• Lisa Crawley – Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist intends to work with more producers and engineers and learn about writing for advertisements. 
• Maree Sheehan – The singer and songwriter intends to further her understanding of writing and production for screen, while mentoring young composers. 
• Phodiso Dintwe – Born in Bostwana, hip hop artist Phodiso is working on his next album and plans a writing session with producer Rory Noble. 
• Valentine Nixon – Is one half of sister duo Purple Pilgrims who intends to explore more international collaboration opportunities.