A gifted guitarist and an aspiring accountant will be among the multiple award winners at USC’s 2019 Annual Awards and Prizes Ceremony on Thursday evening.

Regional and national businesses, associations and individuals have joined with USC in providing 55 awards, prizes, bursaries and sponsorships, totalling almost $64,000, to reward high-achieving students.

The ceremony, which has expanded from an annual Business School event to include other USC schools, also gives prize donors the chance to meet and recruit the University’s best and brightest students.

Two students – Melinda Wells of Bli Bli and Paul Hoggard of Maryborough – will gain three prizes each, totalling $1,500 and $3,580 respectively.

Melinda, who is studying Creative Industries, will receive the Suzanne Kompass Prize for the highest-achieving student in Foundations of Performance, the Shake It Up Music Prize for the highest-achieving student in Introduction to Music Promotion and the APRA AMCOS Prize for the highest-achieving student in Advanced Songwriting.

Paul, who has completed a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting), will take home the BDO Prize for the highest-achieving student in Auditing and Professional Practice, the CPA Australia Prize for the highest-achieving third-year graduating accounting student, and the Tax Institute Prize for the highest-achieving student in Contemporary Accounting Issues.

Two other students will gain two prizes each. They are Creative Industries student Jason Heslop of Nambour and Law student Michelle De La Haye of Woombye.

The event provides an opportunity for USC to acknowledge and thank donors, encourage a culture of philanthropy within the region, and enable student recipients to meet donors.

Students receiving awards will be from the School of Nursing, Midwifery & Paramedicine, the School of Social Sciences, the School of Creative Industries, USC Law School and the USC Business School.