The winners of the 2025 Melbourne Prize awards have been announced. One of Australia’s most valuable awards for artists and writers, the Prize awards Victorian-based musicians every three years.

Shane Howard. Photo © Darren Burns

The Melbourne Prize for Music 2025, worth $60,000, has been awarded to singer-songwriter and poet Shane Howard for his “body of work and outstanding contribution to Australian music and cultural life”.

A singer-songwriter, guitarist and vocalist, Howard was a member of 70s rock band Goanna, which reunited in 2022 for a national tour in celebration of the 40th anniversary of album Spirit of Place. As a solo artist, Howard has recorded 14 solo albums and has published two books. He is also a prolific producer.

Howard was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia in 2016 for his services to the performing arts and recording industry. He returned it in 2023 following the referendum for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

This year’s finalists were conductor Nicolette Fraillon and singer-songwriters Emma Donovan and Deborah Conway, who will also each be awarded $1,000.