Taite Prize finalist Dudley Benson has written a thoughtful piece on the judging and presentation of the Taite Prize, over at The Corner blog. Sure, he didn't win, but this isn't simply a case of a sore loser. Benson touches on the nature of competitive awards and how does one judge them. It's an interesting read.
In Defence of Creativity (& The Greater Problem Of The ‘International Quality’): An Artist’s Response To The 2011 Taite Music Prize.
"...I’d firstly like to pre-empt any inevitable interpretation of this response as one of upset in my being a finalist but not winner of the award. My motivations here grow both from an overall concern that I’ll go on to describe, as well as a result of receiving significant feedback from others – both in and out of the music industry – who are also interested in discussing the judges’ decision, specifically in relation to the award criteria.
"Also compelling is my observation that when something of an imbalance occurs within our music community, very few people seem prepared to make their concerns public. I suspect artists fear being blacklisted from future chances of recognition within the circles in question, while others in media positions have business and personal relationships that they are afraid of bruising. These anxieties do not personally concern me, especially in comparison to the responsibility I feel in contributing positively to the dialogue of what in New Zealand music we consider to be creatively successful work...."
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