Tauranga musician Georgia Lines plans to make music her life after taking out a national title in Smokefreerockquest 2014.

Georgia Lines is thenational winner of Smokefreerockquest 2014. Photo: supplied.

The talented young performer was announced the winner of the solo/duo section at Auckland's Q Theatre on Saturday night.

'I want to surround myself with people who can help me,” says Georgia. Smokefreerockquest has developed my songwriting – we all bring something to the competition and I guess the judges saw that in me tonight.”

The Bethlehem College student was also presented the Smokefree Women's Musicianship Award worth $1000.

Mount Maunganui College band Joe's Van – consisting of Cormac Seymour, Rory Priest and Jake Nicholas – also have something to celebrate after claiming second place in the competition.

Mount Maunganui College band Joe's Van.

Wellington High School's dub-roots four piece – HeadChef – took out the national title of the youth music event.

Band members Carlos McQuillan, Leon van Dijk, Dylan Quinn and Ted Bartley got their name from a friend who used to 'cook us up the meanest feeds”.

Carlos says competing in the Smokefreerockquest has been the best fun they've had.

'We had mentoring from Mike Fabulous, from the Black Seeds, that really helped us and we worked and reworked our songs – I think it was their structure and our performance that got us through.”

Wellington High School's dub-roots four piece – HeadChef – took out the national title of the youth music event.

Judges Jeff Newton, Damian Daniels, Hamish Jackson and Kiwi music legends Anika Moa and Aaron Tokona were pleased with the night's performances.

Jeff says the overall standard of the six bands was so high he'd have been comfortable with any of them winning.

'Head Chef stood out for the quality of their songwriting, musicianship and performance – they were brave in what they shot for - with harmonies, rap and some surprising elements and complexities that they executed to a very high standard.”

Anika Moa described Georgia as 'absolutely fantastic”.

'She was very entertaining, she dressed well, oozed confidence and is a very good songwriter – her songs nailed it.”

Head Chef win $10,000 of musical gear from the NZ Rockshops and their suppliers, while Georgia Lines wins $3000 worth. Both will get a $10,000 song and video package from NZ On Air, inclusion on the NZ On Air Kiwi Hit Disc, radio promotional support, and video play on youth music channel FOUR. Both also win an all-expenses paid, seven day-tour to Fiji thanks to Unleashed Travel.

Smokefreerockquest attracted just on 700 entries this year. Winners from 23 regional finals sent in DVDs of their original music, and the top six bands and three solo/duos were selected in August by judges from the music industry.

Results:

Second place of the solo/duo section was awarded to Cam Dawson, a profoundly blind Year 10 student at Manurewa High School.

Third placed band, winning $3,000 in musical equipment from the Rockshop – Marist College band – Vivid.The MAINZ Scholarship for outstanding musicianship, tuition fees for one year to a MAINZ Course, valued at $4800 – Micah Van der Touw, from Keri Keri High School.

The APRA Lyric Award, $500 cash: Elsie Whelan from Hutt Valley High School.

The Lowdown Best Song Award, having their song professionally recorded: Vacant City from Wairarapa College and Rathkeale College.

The People's Choice Award: The Oxymorons from Gisborne Girls' High School and Courtney Hate from Green Bay High School, who played the opener at the event as the prize for this award, voted on Facebook in the lead up to the final.