Entries are now open for the ABC Young Performers Awards. The prestigious awards – which began in 1944 and have launched the careers of Australian artists such as Roger Woodward, Simon Tedeschi, Claire Edwardes, Diana Doherty, Amy Dickson and Tamara-Anna Cislowska – are now managed by the philanthropic organisation Music & Opera Singers Trust, who stepped in after Symphony Australia announced in 2015 that they would no longer be continuing the awards.

There are some changes to the awards in their new format, which will no longer include a chamber music round. In addition to significant cash prizes – including a scholarship to study overseas sponsored by the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust valued at $25,000 per year for two years, and the $30,000 Sheila Walker Scholarship – the musician awarded Young Performer of the Year will also be named ABC Classic FM Artist-in-Residence, a position which will provide them with opportunities for recording and broadcast. The Young Performer of the Year will also receive a limited-edition work by renowned sculptor Drago Marin Cherina.

There are also significant prizes and opportunities on offer for finalists, including performance opportunities with the Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne...