Eamon McNelis, 27, from Melbourne, was awarded first prize in the 2010 National Jazz Awards at the Wangaratta Festival of Jazz. In second place was Matthew Jodrell, 30, from Perth (currently based in New York) and third, Nick Garbett, 27, from Sydney.
McNelis received $8000 prize money plus a studio recording session for Jazztrack with Mal Stanley' on ABC Classic FM and an invitation to perform in the Stonnington Jazz Festival in May 2011.
Jodrell was awarded $5000 prize money and Garbett won $2000.
The National Jazz Awards have been staged annually at the Wangaratta Jazz Festival since 1990 and feature a different instrument each year. In 2010 the Awards and featured brass.
The 2010 Awards attracted a record number of entries, received from around Australia, and from the USA.
Judges this year were renowned Sydney pianist Mike Nock, trumpeter Phil Slater and trombonist James Greening.
The roll call of past winners (including such names as Barney McAll, James Muller, Stephen Magnusson, Julien Wilson, Phil Slater, Scott Tinkler, Michelle Nicolle & Zac Hurran) shows how successful the National Jazz Awards have been in encouraging and promoting outstanding talent.
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