Today, Yamaha Music Australia is proud to announce the 12 finalists for this year’s Main Stage Grant. Now in its second year, the initiative is designed to provide real support to the next generation of Australian musicians by giving them the tools they need to create, record and perform.
Open to artists across three categories – bands, songwriters/artists, and studio/music producers – the Main Stage Grant will provide one artist from each category $5,000 cash, plus $5,000 worth of Yamaha gear.
The finalists for the 2026 Main Stage Grant are:
Songwriter category
- Bonnie Jac
- Fergus Hogan
- Milly Strange
- Yours, Georgina
Producer category
- Alice Ruby
- Juno Mamba
- Mo•Louie
- Nat Luna
Band category
- The Smith & Western Jury
- Memory Motel
- Soleil
- CHEEKY LEASH
From these finalists, the three grant recipients will be announced on Tuesday 17th November, determined by a panel of industry experts and tastemakers in collaboration with Yamaha Music Australia.
Last year, Sydney art-folk outfit Beryl received the Main Stage Grant under the Band category. Reflecting on the experience, the band says “It genuinely helped move our career forward. The grant helped us record our upcoming third album, and it also provided us with some great Yamaha gear to take on tour.”
2025’s recipients also included multi-instrumentalist Dylan Atlantis (songwriter), and rising electronic artist Moss (producer), selected from more than 500 Main Stage Grant applicants across the country.
This year, Yamaha Music Australia is a proud supporter of Support Act. For every application received for the 2026 Main Stage Grant, $5 will be donated to Support Act, helping provide vital assistance to people working in the music industry.
The Main Stage Grant joins Yamaha Music Australia’s existing initiatives as they continue their mission to empower artists across all stages of their music journey to “Make Waves”. From their previous Share Your Moment competition encouraging artists to share the stories that have shaped their music journey, to their Great Start Grant offering schools the opportunity to create a vibrant culture of music education, Yamaha Music Australia has a strong track record of supporting Australian musicians.
Spanning first instruments to global stages, Yamaha’s 130-year legacy of innovation at the intersection of music and technology has established the brand as a cornerstone of music production, education, and performance worldwide. Find out more at www.au.yamaha.com.