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Richard Pollett Prize

Enrolment status
Current UQ student
Student type
Domestic, International
Study level
Undergraduate
Study area
Arts, humanities and social sciences
Scholarship focus
Creative excellence
Scholarship value
$500
Scholarship duration
1 year
Number awarded
1
Applications open
5 February 2024
Applications close
28 March 2024

Eligibility

You are eligible to apply if you:

  • are enrolled in the Bachelor of Music or Bachelor of Music (Honours) or a dual program that includes the Bachelor of Music or Bachelor of Music (Honours)
  • are available to perform at the annual competition. 

How to apply

Apply using the online application form. 

You will need to provide:

  • details of the work you propose to perform
  • a short bio.

    Use our tips for putting together a great application to help you through this process.

    Selection criteria

    If deemed eligible, you will be invited to perform at the competition where the student with the most outstanding performance on an orchestral stringed instrument with a bow will receive the prize.

    What happens next

    We'll acknowledge your application via email. If you haven't received an email within 2 days of applying, please email concerts@uq.edu.au.

    If you are chosen to perform, we'll contact you to provide more details of the competition. 

    About this scholarship

    Richard Pollett’s diverse passions were driven by a deep understanding "of the essence of things: colour in music, depth in literature, poetry and visual art, texture in food, the wind in his hair, the sea, silence, reflection". He was dedicated to life itself, with music just one avenue for him to explore the world around him in all its beauty, subtlety, grandeur, and complexity. Though his calling drew him numerous prizes and awards his compassion, generosity, and modesty shone through more prominently than any performance ever could. In 2011, at the age of 25, he was engaged by the Queensland Symphony Orchestra to play as a soloist. A month before the concert he was killed in a road crash while cycling.  

    The Richard Pollett Prize exists to inspire others by his memory, to connect with the deep emotional and intellectual experience of his world. The innumerable letters from young musicians received after his untimely passing are only a narrow window into the powerful effect he had on his community, be it Melbourne, Zurich, Tel Aviv, or here in Brisbane. His legacy lives on in the lives he touched, the music he performed, and the scholars who carry on his craft. The prize has been established in his memory and is maintained by an annual donation from his parents, Professors Philip and Patricia Pollett. More information about Richard is available at his memorial website.

    Rules

    Competition dates:

    • Heats: 26 April 2024
    • Finals: 21 May 2024

    Competition rules:

    • Heats- max 10 mins duration
    • Finals- max 20 mins duration
    • No more than 6 candidates to proceed from heats to finals in each competition
    • Competitors to organise and self-fund any rehearsals with pianist prior to heats and final if required
    • Winner (automatic) and runner up (by invitation) in each competition to perform in prize winner concert.