Her song Cooking Up A Song has made the top 30 songs in the Australian Songwriters Association (ASA) songwriting competition, out of more than 3000 entries.
Earlier this year the same song was a finalist in the Best Children’s Music Song category at the Australasian Performing Rights Association (Apra) Awards and her album of the same name was a finalist in the Best Children’s Music Album category at the New Zealand Music Awards.
"A win at the ASA awards would be fantastic," van Riel said.
Released in August last year, the song was recorded and produced in Wanaka.
Van Riel, who is a citizen of both Australia and New Zealand, said being a finalist for an Australian music award was a great feeling.
"I lived there for over a decade and feel like I found myself musically there."
Van Riel and her husband, Locky Urquhart, returned to New Zealand after their daughter Matilda (5) needed surgery for a rare condition she was born with that caused some of her internal organs to have been outside her body.
"That was such a rough time ... We were so settled in Byron. I had a really fantastic duo with fellow singer-songwriter Kathryn Jones and I felt like I was home."
The winner of the ASA songwriting award will be announced at an awards ceremony in December.
