Australian singer-songwriter Xavier Rudd has been awarded the 2023 Environmental Music Prize.
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The publicly-voted music prize judges eco-conscious artists on their 'ability to connect us to nature or an environmental issue'.
"The land and sea and all its magnificent plants and animals have been the biggest inspiration for my music by far since I began writing songs when I was a kid," Xavier Rudd said in a statement.
The musician has been awarded the prize for his 2021 music video of his single 'Stoney Creek'.
He wrote the song while sailing up to Cape York in north Queensland during the forced lockdowns.
"Times had changed everyone, and that brought us back to what was really important - family, friends, community, and our connection to nature," Mr Rudd said.
The winner was announced on Earth Day on June 13 among 21 other finalists including Midnight Oil, Flume, MO'JU, Ziggy Alberts,Tash Sultana, and King Stingray.
The inaugural winner in 2022 was Melbourne rock band King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard for their track 'If not no, then when?'.
In other news:
Founder of the Environmental Music prize, Edwina Floch said the prize aims to encourage artists to use their voice to speak about environmental issues within their lyrics and their music videos.
"Music is a really powerful way to communicate on these issues, and we know that artists are deeply empathetic people, many of them care about the environment," Ms Floch said.
"Many of them are using their voice on social media or to support various campaigns, but often the music doesn't necessarily reflect that."
The $20,000 music prize is community funded and Ms Floch has started a crowdfunding campaign to ensure they can continue the prize next year.
Xavier Rudd will donate his $20,000 prize to environmental organisations.
