Meet the Judges

Adam Newling

Raised in Cronulla by a first-generation Greek mother and Aussie father, Adam Newling blends grungy alt-rock with country-folk storytelling to craft music that’s raw, poetic, and entirely his own. After years playing guitar for Ruby Fields (and appearing on her ARIA #1 debut album) Newling broke out with his solo EP Half Cut and Dangerous, now surpassing 5 million streams. His EP Dorothy Painted Portraits followed in 2023, charting at #9 on the ARIA Albums Chart and earning national radio support.

Known for his magnetic stage presence, Adam has supported Gang of Youths, Amy Shark, King Stingray, and The Church, and toured the US with Skegss. In 2025, he joined Richy Mitch & The Coal Miners on their sold-out Australian run.

With a growing fanbase and string of acclaimed releases behind him, Newling continues to stand out as one of Australia’s most vital emerging songwriters.

Daniel Randell

Daniel Randell is the Associate Director Student Life at Flinders University; a role focused on programs and services to support the student experience. Prior to entering the University sector Daniel spent 8 years as the General Manager of MusicSA, the peak body for contemporary music in South Australia, of which he was later a Director and Vice Chair. Additionally, Daniel was founder and Managing Director of JL Music Publishing, an independant music publisher representing all or part catalogues from 75 Australian songwriters with sub publishing in the UK, Europe, Hong Kong, US and Canada amd responsible for the licensing of 3 international catalogues in Australia with over 10,000 copyrights.

Laura Murray

Laura’s connection to music runs deep. In her teens she helped to put on her first all-ages gig, and she was hosting her own show on community radio, interviewing artists like Allday, Mallrat, Illy, and Thundamentals before she’d even finished high school. Over the years she’s stage managed, worked crew roles and as an artist liaison at major festivals, and is currently learning guitar and front-of-house sound, always adding to her toolkit.

Drawing on her background in social work, Laura is passionate about putting artist and crew wellbeing at the forefront of the music industry. She brings that lens to everything she does. These days she helps on the Student Experience Network Uni Venue Touring Project and National Campus Music Comp. She is also passionate about championing access to live music and the arts in regional Australia.

Paul Clayton

Paul is the CEO of the Student Experience Network (SEN), the organisation behind the National Campus Music Comp. Originally from the UK, Paul has managed music venues in Australia and UK ranging from bars with 600 capacity to a 4,000 capacity music and sports venue. Paul listens to all kinds of music including folk, classical, dance and metal. This will be Paul’s 4^th year as a judge.