The LUMINA Composition Award, established by the Melbourne Women’s International Jazz Festival (MWIJF) and University of Melbourne in 2024, is a prize awarded to an outstanding young female / gender diverse composer who creates compositions in the spirit of jazz and improvisation.

The award is open to female and non-binary identifying musicians aged 25 and under on 10th November 2025. Applicants must be Victorian residents. The award invites eligible musicians to submit a composition written in the spirit of jazz and improvisation.

What to submit:

A lead sheet or score of your composition (pdf)

A recording of your composition (mp3 or link to audio file on Soundcloud, YouTube, Dropbox, or similar)

The prize consists of $1,250 and a performance opportunity at the 2026 MWIJF.

Submissions due 10th November 2025, 5pm

Entries can be submitted via here:

https://vcamcm.formstack.com/forms/lumina_composition_award

The winner will be judged by a panel comprising Andrea Keller, Gian Slater, Angela Davis and Sonja Horbelt and a guest artist, and announced on Sunday 14th December at the closing night of the MWIJF,

Enquiries: info@mwijf.org

This award is presented by The Melbourne Women’s International Jazz Festival and proudly sponsored by the University of Melbourne.

LUMINA COMPOSITION AWARD 2025

The LUMINA Composition Award, established by the Melbourne Women’s International Jazz Festival (MWIJF) and University of Melbourne in 2024, is a prize awarded to an outstanding young female / gender diverse composer who creates compositions in the spirit of jazz and improvisation.