Yamaha Music Australia 2026 Main Stage Grant Finalists Revealed

The 12 finalists for this year's Yamaha Music Australia Main Stage Grant have been announced.

Designed to provide real support to the next generation of Australian musicians by giving them the tools they need to create, record and perform.

The Main Stage Grant is open to artists across three categories - bands, songwriters/artists, and studio/music producers – and will provide one artist from each category with $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 17 November, determined by a panel of industry experts and tastemakers in collaboration with Yamaha Music Australia.

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Sydney art-folk outfit Beryl took out the inaugural Main Stage Grant under the Band category last year. 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."

The other two winners were multi-instrumentalist Dylan Atlantis (songwriter) and rising electronic artist Moss (producer), selected from more than 500 Main Stage Grant applicants across the country. 

Yamaha Music Australia is also a proud supporter of Support Act, with $5 donated to Support Act for every 2026 Main Stage grant received.

"The response to Main Stage last year was incredible, and confirmed there was a real demand for a program like this," says Mitch Kelly, Yamaha Music Australia.

"What stood out most wasn't just the volume of applications, but the quality of the talent and the stories behind them. It reinforced our belief that Main Stage could become something much bigger than we originally imagined, and after hearing so many incredible stories from artists across Australia, it's hard not to want to do more. Beyond the grant, we've supported artists with product, content creation and tour announcements, and we're working to grow Main Stage into a wider support community."

For more information about the Yamaha Music Australia Main Stage Grant, visit au.yamaha.com.