The Robert Stigwood Fellowship Program provides mentorship and professional development to local musicians and industry entrepreneurs.
The annual program, named after South Australian expat Robert Stigwood, provides local musicians and industry entrepreneurs with mentoring and personalised professional development from project deliverers Stu MacQueen and Dan Crannitch of Wonderlick (behind some of the industry’s big names including Amy Shark, Japanese Wallpaper, Holy Holy and The Paper Kites).
Applications for 2026.
The program offers intensive 12-month mentorship and professional development to South Australian artists and music industry entrepreneurs with the intent to raise the profile of, and build capacity in, the local music industry.
Applications for the 2026 Fellowship will open in September 2025.
2025 Key dates
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Round opens for applications | TBC September 2025 |
| Closing date for applications | TBC September 2025 |
| Notification of results | TBC November 2025 |
| Fellowship period / Funding period | 1 January 2026 – 31 December 2026 |
Artist Fellowship
Tailored to the needs of participating artists, mentoring may include songwriting, production, business skills, marketing and public relations, and attendance at conferences and high-level industry meetings. The arrangement is akin to a surrogate record label/management team.
Industry Fellowship
Offers mentoring for emerging South Australian music industry entrepreneurs who are working in music management or other areas of artist representation. Focus areas include identifying strengths, weaknesses and ambitions for the future. Each fellow will receive one on-one help developing and achieving a business plan for the following 12 months.
Through the service the fellowship provides to the local music community, Stigwood alumni are well on their way to long and fruitful careers in the industry.
All applications are assessed by an industry formed panel. Successful Artist Fellowship recipients receive up to $25,000 in grants with Industry Fellowship recipients receiving up to $5,000 in grants to use during the mentorship.
Established in 2014, the program has played a significant role in helping South Australian artists develop both creatively and professionally, with many securing recording, publishing and management deals.
Previous Stigwood Fellows include: Teenage Joans, East Av3, George Alice, Towns, Jess Day, West Thebarton, Tkay Maidza, Electric Fields, Bad Dreems and Stellie.
This program is a key initiative from the South Australian Government’s Music Development Office.
Congratulations to the 2025 Robert Stigwood Fellows
Artists
- Divebar Youth – Solo alternative pop
- Ella Ion – Solo alternative folk rock
- Purée – Emotive indie pop
- Swapmeet – Indie punk rock
- Sunsick Daisy – Shoegaze dream pop
Industry
- Songbird Society – Inclusive artist mentoring and development agency