Cezary Skubiszewski to Receive Top Honor at 2026 Screen Music Awards
Cezary Skubiszewski will be honored with the distinguished services to the Australian screen award at the 2026 Screen Music Awards. APRA AMCOS will present the ceremony on Oct. 28 at Brisbane's Fortitude Music Hall. The Polish Australian composer has spent more than three decades writing music for television and film, including Neighbours, Two Hands and Red Dog.
Polish-born in 1948, Skubiszewski studied piano and classical music in Warsaw before living in Paris, London and Sydney. He briefly trained as a veterinarian, then joined jazz-rock band Corroboree and wrote jingles before expanding into orchestral, theatre and television work, including Sky Trackers and Neighbours.
His film scoring debut came with Lilian’s Story in 1996, winning an Asia-Pacific Film Festival music prize. Later credits include Two Hands, Red Dog, Sydney 2000 Olympics and Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games. He has won 12 Screen Music Awards, four AACTA and four AGSC awards, plus a 2003 Centenary Medal and 2010 FCCA life achievement honor.
The recognition may spotlight the often-overlooked craft of screen composition, potentially drawing more attention to Australian film and television music. Emerging composers and music students could see a career path validated, while audiences may revisit scores tied to beloved local productions. Brisbane’s ceremony could also bring cultural and industry visibility to the city, though the honor’s broader social reach is likely modest and mainly within creative circles.