Congratulations to the 2026 Diana Torossian Emerging Songwriter Award Recipients!
Alicia “STACKS’ Dark and Summer Rosee
The Australian Songwriters Conference is thrilled to celebrate the announcement of the 2026 Diana Torossian Emerging Songwriter Award recipients — two incredibly talented Queensland songwriters who represent the very best of what emerging Australian songwriting has to offer.T
First prize has been awarded to Brisbane-based songwriter and producer STACKS (aka Alicia Dark), who receives $3,000 in cash plus a game-changing $20,000 package of songwriting and mentoring sessions with some of the industry's leading professionals — including five collaborative songwriting sessions with Andrew Lowden (Thrones), Ben Oldland, David Musumeci and Anthony Egizii (DNA), Evie Irie and Gary Pinto, along with five mentoring sessions covering styling and art direction, publishing, grants and management, A&R, and PR.
Accepting the award, STACKS said: "To be completely honest, I never thought I'd be receiving this award and I'm so grateful to everyone involved for believing in my work. If you're ever considering whether to apply for an opportunity like this, please do. You never know who your work might resonate with. This has come at such a meaningful time in my career as a songwriter, and it's been a wonderful reminder that staying true to yourself is always worthwhile."
A VERY SPECIAL 2ND PRIZE — AND A VERY SPECIAL YOUNG SONGWRITER
Second prize has been awarded to fellow Queensland songwriter Summer Rosee — and we at the ASC couldn't be more delighted to be involved in what is already shaping up to be a remarkable musical journey.
Summer Rosee is 14 years old. Just 12 months ago, she had never even considered singing. Today, she is a Diana Torossian Emerging Songwriter Award recipient with an international audience, radio airplay across more than 30 countries, and a growing catalogue of original music that has drawn comparisons far beyond her years.
In her own words: "It's crazy to think that this time last year I started my music journey. I'd never even thought of singing, but I took a chance and I am so grateful to my family for giving me the courage to do so, because look where it's got me today. Thank you to Diana Torossian, an amazing woman I would have loved to have met, whose legacy continues to inspire young songwriters like me. Winning this award means more than I can put into words, and it gives me so much encouragement to keep writing and to see where this journey takes me."
Summer Rosee
That courage, and that instinct to put authentic stories into song, is evident across everything Summer has released in her short but impressive career. Her debut single 'The Messenger', released in August 2025 under independent label Wild Rose Records, quickly gained attention from reviewers for its emotional depth and cinematic storytelling — described by early listeners as "captivating," "cinematic," and "mature beyond her years." Since then, she has released 'Silver Screen Dream', 'Desiree', and her most recent single 'Closed Chapters', each one reflecting a young artist with a clear creative voice and a genuine gift for finding the universal within the personal.
In 2025, Summer made her international performance debut, marking a significant milestone for an artist who had only just begun. She has been featured in Voxwave Magazine, interviewed by Radio Castor, supported by Radio Flames, and her music has appeared on the European Indie Charts — extraordinary reach for someone still in the first year of her music career.
Andrew Lowden, one of the co-founders of the award, put it beautifully: "In 2nd place Summer Rosee is so gifted for someone so young and I'm so excited to watch her journey unfold."
So are we.
AS ASC'S CONTRIBUTION TO THE DIANA TOROSSIAN AWARD
The ASC is proud to sponsor the second prize of the Diana Torossian Emerging Songwriter Award — a 12-month, one-on-one Music Career Coaching package with ASC Founder Lisa Butler, valued at $6,000.
Over the next twelve months, Lisa will work closely with Summer to help her build the foundations of a sustainable music career — from understanding the industry to developing her own unique direction, strategy, and pathway forward. This is not a one-size-fits-all programme; it's personalised, intensive, and designed to meet Summer exactly where she is right now and help her chart the road ahead.
We believe in this award, and we believe in Summer Rosee. What she has achieved in just one year of pursuing music is nothing short of extraordinary, and we can't wait to see what the next year brings.
ABOUT THE DIANA TOROSSIAN EMERGING SONGWRITER AWARD
The Diana Torossian Emerging Songwriter Award was established in July 2025 in honour of the late writer/producer manager Diana Torossian, who passed away in September 2024. Diana was a passionate champion of Australian songwriting talent, known for discovering and nurturing some of the country's most prolific and successful songwriters. The award was founded by David Musumeci and Anthony Egizii (DNA), Andrew Lowden, and David Rosenberg, continuing Diana's extraordinary legacy of investing in the next generation of Australian songwriting talent.
Andrew Lowden summed it up for all of them: "We love and miss Di every day, but being able to alchemise the grief of losing her into something that goes on to keep making differences in songwriters' lives is something I know Di would be so proud of."
Congratulations again to STACKS and Summer Rosee — and to everyone involved in bringing this beautiful award to life. Di would be very proud indeed.
FOLLOW SUMMER ROSEE:
Instagram: @summer.roseemusic
TikTok: @summer.rosemusic
