2015 APRA Silver Scroll Awards


The 2015 APRA Silver Scroll Awards was held on Thursday 17 September 2015 at Vector Arena in Auckland, celebrating excellence in New Zealand songwriting. The 2015 ceremony marked the 50th presentation of the Silver Scroll award. As well as honouring the best songwriting of 2015, the awards retrospectively awarded the best song of 1981 as previously no award was presented in that year.

Silver Scroll award

The Silver Scroll award celebrates outstanding achievement in songwriting of original New Zealand pop music. The short list of finalists was announced on 20 September.
SongwriterActSongCovering artist
Anthonie TonnonAnthonie Tonnon"Water Underground"MC Tali
Ella Yelich-O'Connor/Joel LittleLorde"Yellow Flicker Beat"Mark de Clive-Lowe and Ria Hall
Marlon Williams/Tim MooreMarlon Williams"Dark Child"Fazerdaze
Mel ParsonsMel Parsons"Get Out Alive"Ester Stephens and the Means
Ruban Nielson/Kody NielsonUnknown Mortal Orchestra"Multi-Love"Warren Maxwell, Thomas Oliver and Louis Baker

Long list

In July 2015 a top 20 long list was announced. From this list APRA members voted to decide the five songs that make up the year's short list.
The Silver Scroll award was not awarded in 1981, so APRA retrospectively presented the award as part of the 2015 ceremony. In July 2015 a short list of five songs from the 1981 eligibility period was announced.
SongwriterActSong
Phil Judd/Wayne Stevens/Mark HoughThe Swingers"Counting The Beat"
Don McGlashan/Richard von SturmerBlam Blam Blam"There is No Depression in New Zealand"
Neil FinnSplit Enz"One Step Ahead"
Michael O'Neill/Peter van der Fluit/Lawrence Landwer-Johan/Tony DrummScreaming Meemees"See Me Go"
Robert Scott/David Kilgour/Hamish KilgourThe Clean"Tally Ho"

New Zealand Music Hall of Fame

Steel guitar player Bill Sevesi was inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame as APRA New Zealand's 2015 inductee.

Other awards

Six other awards were presented at the Silver Scroll Awards: APRA Maioha Award, SOUNZ Contemporary Award, two awards acknowledging songs with the most radio and television play in New Zealand and overseas, and APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film Award and APRA Best Original Music in a Series Award.

APRA song awards

Outside of the Silver Scroll Awards, APRA presented five genre awards in 2015. The APRA Best Pacific Song was presented at the Pacific Music Awards, the APRA Best Country Music Song was presented at the New Zealand Country Music Awards, the APRA Best Māori Songwriter was presented at the Waiata Maori Music Awards and the APRA Children's Song of the Year and What Now Video of the Year were presented live on What Now.
AwardSongwriterActSong
APRA Best Pacific SongSmashproof“Survivors"
APRA Best Country Music SongKaylee Bell & Jared PorterKaylee Bell & Jared Porter"Pieces"
APRA Best Māori SongwriterRanea Aperahama
APRA Children's Song of the YearLevity Beet and Daniel StryczekLevity Beet and Daniel Stryczek"There’s One in the Bush"
What Now Children's Video of the YearStephen Templer and Ross Payne fleaBITE"Don’t Sit Under the Poo Tree"