Don Mercer, Chairman of APAC, the operator of Melbourne Airport, launched the airport's major community and cultural initiative, the Melbourne Airport Emerging Talent Program on May 25.

The Melbourne Airport Emerging Talent Program is designed to nurture creative artists at some of this city's most prestigious cultural events and institutions.

Through a series of awards for emerging talent at leading cultural events such as the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Melbourne International Film Festival, the program provides opportunities for young Melbourne artists to take part in iconic international arts events such as the Berlin Film Festival, Edinburgh Fringe, Venice Biennale Vernissage and Brighton Comedy Festival in the UK.

The Program stems from Melbourne's undisputed reputation as a city with an absolute passion for the arts. By supporting the ongoing development of some of Melbourne's fresh new artists, the Melbourne Airport Emerging Talent Program is with strengthen Victoria's unique creative culture.

"From a purely business perspective, the Melbourne Airport Emerging Talent Program is an investment in Victoria's future," said Mr Mercer.

"Our job at Melbourne Airport is to build the aviation and transport infrastructure so that Melbourne and Victoria can grow and develop as a business centre and tourism gateway. The festivals and institutions we support, and the exciting new talent whose careers we are helping to 'take off', are just as integral - as they build our city's cultural infrastructure."

The Melbourne Airport awards have a history of unearthing local talent who go on to become internationally-recognised artists. Past winners of the Melbourne Airport Best Newcomer Awards include Fiona O'Loughlin (2001), Eddie Perfect (2004), and Flight of the Conchords (2003) who went on to be nominated for the celebrated Perrier award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Melbourne Airport's 2006 Fringe Festival Award winner, Kate McLennan, was recently nominated for the prestigious Barry Award at the 2007 Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Kate joins two other recent winners of Melbourne Airport awards, Sammy J (Comedy Festival 2006) and Josh Thomas (Comedy Festival 2007) on the upcoming Australia-wide Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow.

Julius Avery, the 2006 winner of the Film Festival's Melbourne Airport Emerging Australian Filmmaker Award, has just completed his second feature film and is firmly established as one of Australia's leading young directors.

The Melbourne Airport Emerging Talent Program supports the following festivals, events and cultural awards:

Melbourne Airport Innovator Award
Linden, St Kilda Centre for Contemporary Arts
The Melbourne Airport Innovator Award at Linden, St Kilda's centre for contemporary art, recognises innovation and boundary-pushing art - and sends the winner to the Venice Biennale Vernissage, one of the world's most prestigious visual arts events.

Melbourne Airport Best Newcomer Award
Melbourne International Comedy Festival
The Melbourne Airport Best Newcomer Award is presented to the best first-time performer at each Comedy Festival, and sends the winner to the prestigious Brighton Comedy Festival in the UK.

Melbourne Airport Emerging Australian Filmmaker Award
Melbourne International Film Festival
The Melbourne Airport Emerging Australian Filmmaker Award gives young filmmakers Australian and international recognition of their work, and sends the winner to the celebrated Berlin Film Festival.

Melbourne Airport "I'm off to Edinburgh" Award for Outstanding Melbourne Newcomer
Melbourne Fringe Festival
The Melbourne Airport "I'm off to Edinburgh" Award for Outstanding Melbourne Newcomer provides the winner with the chance put their skills to the test in front of one of the world's largest arts audiences: at the renowned Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Mietta Song Recital Award
The Mietta Song Recital is one of Australia's premier cultural programs to nurture classically-trained vocalists - and is held in memory of Melbourne food and cultural icon Mietta O'Donnell. The Mietta Song Recital Award provides a musical scholarship to the winning singer to further their study in Europe.

To find out more about the Melbourne Airport Emerging Talent Program including interviews and profiles of winning artists, visit www.melbourneairport.com.au/emergingtalent.