{"id":764334,"date":"2026-06-27T19:55:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T19:55:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/764334\/"},"modified":"2026-06-27T19:55:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T19:55:15","slug":"australia-wide-music-competition-geelong-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/764334\/","title":{"rendered":"Australia-wide music competition – Geelong Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

A NATIONAL talent search could be the launchpad for the Surf Coast\u2019s next breakout music star.<\/p>\n

Entries for Passport to Airlie have opened, offering unsigned artists the chance to have their name on one of Australia\u2019s biggest festival lineups.<\/p>\n

For the first time, local musicians will compete in Torquay for their chance to play at the Airlie Beach Festival of Music.<\/p>\n

Bells Beach Brewing will host one of two Victorian regional finals, marking the first time a final has been held outside Melbourne in the state.<\/p>\n

Regional winners will travel to Airlie Beach in November to compete against finalists from around Australia for a performance slot at the 2027 festival.<\/p>\n

Kristy Coote won a regional heat in Newcastle 10 years ago and said the experience of competing in the Passport to Airlie final in the Whitsundays was an experience money can\u2019t buy.<\/p>\n

\"\"Kristy Coote and Adam Smith have been showcasing local music talent at Bells Beach Brewing for five years. Photo: Tahlia Sinclair<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now living in Torquay, she is thrilled to bring the competition to the Surf Coast for the fist time.<\/p>\n

With 10 spots up for grabs in the final at Bells Beach Brewing in August, she encouraged acts to send in their applications sooner than later.<\/p>\n

Bells Beach Brewing co-founder Adam Smith said he is excited to welcome artists to the venue. Live, local musicians have been part of the venue\u2019s identity for several years.<\/p>\n

\u201cLive music has become a really big part of our business. We\u2019ve put a lot of effort into working with Kristy and doing our open mic for nearly five years now,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n

Many performers who now play full sets first started at open mic nights.<\/p>\n

Smith said the quality of talent coming through the region has been a welcome surprise.<\/p>\n

\"\"Melbourne band Monroe being announced as 2025 Passport to Airlie winners, pictured on stage with ABFoM founder Gavin Butlin, Stacey Laree and Cherrie Hughes. Photo: Summer Rain Photography.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve seen a lot come through anxiously pulling their way through two songs to now putting full sets together,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m waiting for the one that goes really big. There\u2019s a couple of potentials and it will be great to say we had them before they were really famous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hosting the Passport to Airlie final could provide that breakthrough moment.<\/p>\n

Smith said the venue will continue to support local artists in any way it can.<\/p>\n

Airlie Beach Festival of Music founder Gavin Butlin said he hopes the competition helps accelerate the journey for Australia\u2019s most promising emerging musicians.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom buskers to the most influential names in modern music, every headliner started somewhere, usually by hustling, grinding and proving that live, original music deserves a crowd,\u201d Butlin said.<\/p>\n

\"\"The winners of Passport to Airlie will get a slot on the Airlie Beach Festival of Music mainstage in 2027. Photo: supplied.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Coote said Passport to Airlie stands out from other competitions by focusing on original music rather than covers.<\/p>\n

She encouraged locals to attend the Bells Beach final and support emerging acts competing for a place at the national stage.<\/p>\n

Regional winners from Bells Beach, Melbourne, Brisbane, Newcastle, Byron Bay, Townsville, Cairns, Mackay, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Sydney will go head-to-head in November.<\/p>\n

The overall winner will receive a professional photography package, mainstage performance slot in 2027 and a prize money packet based on the act size.<\/p>\n

Entries for the Bells Beach heat on 22 August are still open. The regional final will be judged live and the winner announced on the night.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A NATIONAL talent search could be the launchpad for the Surf Coast\u2019s next breakout music star. Entries for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":764335,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,44],"class_list":["post-764334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/764334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=764334"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/764334\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/764335"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=764334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=764334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=764334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}