The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Music Producers Development Program (MPDP) has been recognised on the national stage, taking out the Outstanding Community Work Award at the 2026 Music Producers and Engineers' Guild of Australia (MPEG) Awards in Sydney.
The annual awards celebrate the best producers, engineers and studios working behind the scenes in Australian music, with this year's ceremony held on February 25 at The Darling Rooms Dockside in Cockle Bay Wharf.
Among the industry's top honours, the MPDP was recognised for its contribution to community and cultural development through music production.
The program, delivered at the University of the Sunshine Coast, brought together emerging Indigenous music producers for an intensive week of training focused on songwriting, recording and music production.
Participants in the program included Mau Power, Bala Kaijo, Danny Batjula, Yirgiliyah, and Serfslim, who worked alongside mentors Dr Lachlan "Magoo" Goold, Soju Gang, Moss McGregor, Trent Starkey (Tnert), Andy Ward, and Bryony Luttrell.
The initiative was developed through collaboration between program lead Uncle Kev Starkey and industry veteran sound engineer Magoo, with the aim of addressing inequity for Indigenous people in the recording studio environment.
Narungga/Adnyamamathanha and Saibai man Uncle Kev explained that the national recognition reflects the strength of the program's outcomes and the people involved in delivering it.
"There were three other nominees, however ours led the pack when it came down to the outcomes and the deliverables," Mr Starkey said.
"We were awarded the winning prize of recognition of that award, which I think was absolutely amazing.
"Magoo was there on the night to receive the award along with my son Trent Starkey."
Uncle Kev said the recognition belongs to everyone who contributed to the program, from mentors to participants.
"The MPDP was about every single one of the mob that participated in either delivering or receiving the information," he said.
"This award is for them."
"It's [the MPDP program] by all means had nothing but positive outcomes."
He added the program was designed to empower Indigenous creatives to take ownership of their work and bring their skills back to community.
"Everybody who has participated in the MPDP has gone on with that knowledge and that enthusiasm and their own gifts and drive of ownership of what they can do as cultural people and producers," Uncle Kev said.
"They can embrace that and then take that now to the world."
"I'm not saying the MPDP did that - it was inside every single one of them... we just gave them the tools and the motivation to go and grab it."
Magoo said the national recognition is an important step in ensuring the program can continue and expand.
"What this means to myself, Uncle Kev, Andy and Bryony is that it encourages us to keep the program going," he said.
"It also helps us try to find funding so that we can roll it out a bit further.
"And the recognition from a national peak body really helps with that."
He added the program goes far beyond teaching technical skills.
"It's about letting First Nations people know that you can record anywhere and recording on country is possible" he said.
"It goes beyond just making beats - it's actually something for the community and something you can give back to mob."
With national recognition now behind it and interest growing across the industry, the MPDP is emerging as one of the most important grassroots initiatives shaping the next generation of Indigenous music producers.
If the success of the first program is any indication, the future of Indigenous music production is in very safe hands.
