35th National Jazz Award - Brass

It was a great honour and privilege to join Mat Jodrell in adjudicating the Brass finalists of the 35th National Jazz Awards at the Wangaratta Festival of Jazz & Blues on Saturday, 1 November 2025.

Congratulations to all of this year’s outstanding finalists whose dynamic and expressive performances were a testament to the world class standard of brass playing in Australia. A heartfelt salute to the winner Lachlan McKenzie, with a superb second place to Rhys Moore and an impressive third place to Tom Avgenicos.

It’s fantastic to see the Festival continue its long-standing tradition, and even more important to acknowledge how vital it is for the music industry that events like this remain on the calendar. The regional setting makes all the difference in reaching musicians beyond the major cities, supporting talent in regional and rural communities, and reminding us that music is the catalyst that brings everyone together. The vibrancy, connection and inspiration that the Wangaratta Festival of Jazz & Blues fosters in regional Victoria and more broadly across Australia is priceless.

Here’s to many more years of celebrating jazz, blues and the power of music in our cities and regional heartlands.

-Jordan Murray

In 1990, The National Jazz Award was created at the first Wangaratta Festival of Jazz and Blues for Artists below the age of 36.

The Award has been a major stepping stone for many great Australian Jazz Artists.

Along with the prestige, the Jazz award has always come with a cash prize. The Cash prize traditionally has always been allocated from philanthropic partners or from surplus cash from Festival shows.

It is no secret that running Festivals is becoming increasingly more difficult and expensive, thus the ability of the Festival to cover this cash prize year in year out is becoming increasingly more challenging.

In recent years, after several years of great generosity, our major award donor has moved on.

We are now seeking new Philanthropic support for the Award be it through a major donor or through several smaller donations.

Can you help?

Funds raised will:

• Elevate prize value – recognising artistic excellence and providing tangible support to young musicians as they establish their careers.
• Ensure high quality professional production and backing band – ensuring that finalists perform in an environment that reflects the quality and prestige of the Award.
• Provide mentorship and authentic audience engagement – pairing finalists with established artists and offering meaningful, professional performance experiences that prepare them for sustainable careers.

Why your support matters:

Delivering this nationally significant award comes with rising costs and without donor support the opportunities we provide to these exceptional young artists would be limited.

Costs for NJA exceed $40k which include:

· Backing band

· Judging panel

· Accommodation for backing band, judges and finalists

· Venue Hire and Production

· Prize Money

· Marketing of the Award

While we do make some revenue from ticket sales and council spnosorship, the event is still put on at a considerable cost to the Festival.

By contributing, you help sustain a platform that has launched many of Australia’s leading jazz performers and ensure the next generation has the recognition, resources, and inspiration to thrive.

Together, we can safeguard the future of jazz and nurture the artists who will shape its sound for decades to come.

Donate to the National Jazz Award Future Fund