The APRA Music Awards in Australia celebrate excellence in contemporary music, honoring songwriters and publishers who have achieved artistic excellence and outstanding success in their fields. Several award ceremonies are run in Australia by the

Australasian Performing Right Association APRA AMCOS consists of Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS), both copyright management organisations or copyright collectives which jointly represent over 100,000 songwri ...

(APRA) and

Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society APRA AMCOS consists of Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS), both copyright management organisations or copyright collectives which jointly represent over 100,000 songwr ...

(AMCOS). In addition to the APRA Music Awards, APRA AMCOS, in association with the

Australian Music Centre The Australian Music Centre (AMC), founded as Australia Music Centre in 1974 and known as Sounds Australian in the 1990s, is a national organisation promoting and supporting art music in Australia. It operates mainly as a service organisation, a ...

, presents awards for

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

and

improvised music Musical improvisation (also known as musical extemporization) is the creative activity of immediate ("in the moment") musical composition, which combines performance with communication of emotions and instrumental technique as well as spontaneous ...

experimental music Experimental music is a general label for any music or music genre that pushes existing boundaries and genre definitions. Experimental compositional practice is defined broadly by exploratory sensibilities radically opposed to, and questioning of, ...

and

sound art Sound art is an artistic activity in which sound is utilized as a primary Time-based media, time-based Artistic medium, medium or material. Like many genres of contemporary art, sound art may be interdisciplinary in nature, or be used in Cross-genr ...

, known as the Art Music Awards. It also runs, in association with the

Australian Guild of Screen Composers The Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC) is a not for profit organisation, which was established in 1981, "to represent the interests of Australian screen composers by developing and promoting employment opportunities, undertaking educationa ...

(AGSC), the Screen Music Awards, to acknowledge excellence in the field of

screen composition A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...

APRA Music Awards (Australia)

The APRA Music Awards were established in 1982 to honour songwriters and music composers for their efforts. The award categories are:

Gold Awards

From 1982 to 1990, the best songs were given the Gold Award, which was also called the Special Award. In the mid-1980s Platinum Awards were given to significant works from previous years.

Song of the Year

Song of the Year is decided by the votes of APRA members. All eligible songs must be written by an APRA member and released in the preceding calendar year for consideration. The ''Song of the Year'' award is considered one of the most prestigious of the APRA Music Awards.

Songwriter of the Year

Songwriter of the Year is voted by APRA's Board of Writer and Publisher Directors rewarding the songwriter who has recorded the most impressive body of work in the previous year.

The Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music

The Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music' is decided by APRA's Board of Writer and Publisher Directors for a lifetime contribution. The Award is named after

Ted Albert Edward Frank Albert (1937 – 11 November 1990) was an Australian early pioneer independent record producer, and founder of Albert Productions (part of his great grandfather's company Albert Music). In recognition of his contribution to the mus ...

whose company

Albert Productions Albert Productions, a division of music publishing and recording company Albert Music, is one of Australia's longest established independent record labels to specialise in rock and roll music. The label was founded in 1963 by Ted Albert, wh ...

put out records by

The Easybeats The Easybeats were an Australian Rock music, rock band which formed in Sydney in late 1964. They are best known for their 1966 hit single "Friday on My Mind", which is regarded as the first Australian rock song to achieve international success ...

AC/DC AC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock and Heavy metal music, heavy metal, although the band calls it simply "rock and roll". They are cited as a formativ ...

and

John Paul Young John Inglis Young, Order of Australia, OAM (born 21 June 1950), known professionally as John Paul Young, is an Australian pop singer who is best known for having a worldwide hit with "Love Is in the Air (song), Love Is in the Air" in 1978. His ...

Breakthrough Songwriter Award

Breakthrough Songwriter Award is decided by APRA's Board of Writer and Publisher Directors for an emerging songwriter or groups of writers. The award category was first introduced by APRA in 2002.

Awards for Most Performed Works

There are a number of awards given for most performed work based on a statistical analysis of APRA's database. These awards include "Most Performed Australian Work of the Year", "Most Performed Australian Work Overseas", "Most Performed Foreign Work", "Most Performed Jazz Work", "Most Performed Country Work" and "Most Performed Dance Work".

Art Music Awards (with AMC)

In 2001, APRA joined forces with the

(AMC) to present awards for Australian classical music, known as Classical Music Awards. The AMC had been presenting annual awards for classical music since 1988, apart from a 1993–1995 hiatus due to funding cuts. The participation of APRA helped to secure the future of the awards, which are the only Australian awards for contemporary Australian classical music. This award has been won by well-known composers including

Brenton Broadstock Brenton Thomas Broadstock (born 12 December 1952) is an Australian composer. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia on Australia Day in 2014 for "significant service to music as a composer, educator and mentor". Biography From 1 ...

Brett Dean Brett Dean (born 23 October 1961) is an Australian composer, violist and conductor. Early life Brett Dean was born, raised, and educated in Brisbane. He attended Brisbane State High School. He started learning violin at age 8, and later stu ...

, Ross Edwards,

Georges Lentz Georges Lentz is a contemporary composer and sound artist born in Luxembourg in 1965 and that country's internationally best known composer. Since 1990, he has been living in Sydney, Australia. Despite his relatively small output and his reclusi ...

Liza Lim Liza Lim (born 30 August 1966) is an Australian composer. Lim writes concert music ( chamber and orchestral works) as well as music theatre and has collaborated with artists on installation and video projects. Her work reflects her interests in ...

, Richard Mills, and

Peter Sculthorpe Peter Joshua Sculthorpe (29 April 1929 – 8 August 2014) was an Australian composer. Much of his music resulted from an interest in the music of countries neighbouring Australia as well as from the impulse to bring together aspects of Aborigi ...

. After another hiatus in 2010, the event returned as the Art Music Awards the following year, restructured and with two new categories. The awards now cover classical, jazz and improvised music, experimental music and sound art, recognising achievement in composition, performance, education and presentation. , the current award structure recognises eleven annual awards and Luminary Awards for sustained contribution (nationally and for each state and territory) in Australian art music. There is also a discretionary award, The Richard Gill Award for Distinguished Services to Australian Music.

Richard Gill Award for Distinguished Services to Australian Music

Originally named The Distinguished Services to Australian Music Award, from 2019 it was renamed in honour of Australian conductor and educator Richard Gill (19412018). It is determined by APRA's Board of Writer and Publisher Directors and the Australian Music Centre Board for a lifetime contribution to the art music community.

Screen Music Awards (with AGSC)

The annual Screen Music Awards were first presented in 2002 by APRA and AMCOS in conjunction with the

(AGSC). The ceremony, held in November, acknowledges excellence and innovation in the field of screen composition, and covers 13 categories. *;2002 Awards :International Achievement Award –

David Hirschfelder David Hirschfelder (born 18 November 1960) is an Australian musician, film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cu ...

:Best Feature Film Score –

Alan John Alan John (born 7 May 1958 in Sydney) is an Australian composer. He studied music at the University of Sydney, graduating in 1980. His compositions include original music for various plays, films (such as ''Holding the Man'', ''Three Dollars'' and ...

for '' The Bank'' :Best Soundtrack Album – Paul Kelly, Mairead Hannan,

Kev Carmody Kevin Daniel Carmody (born 1946), better known by his stage name Kev Carmody, is an Aboriginal Australian singer-songwriter and musician, a Murri man from northern Queensland. He is best known for the song " From Little Things Big Things Grow" ...

John Romeril John Henry Romeril (born 1945) is an Australian playwright and teacher. He has written around 60 plays for theatre, film, radio, and television, and is known for his 1975 play ''The Floating World''. Early life and education John Henry Romeril ...

, Deirdre Hannan and

Alice Garner Alice Miriam Olivia Garner is an Australian actor, author, musician, teacher and historian. She is the daughter of Australian novelist and screenwriter Helen Garner and playwright, historian and actor Bill Garner. Acting life and career Garn ...

for '' One Night the Moon'' *;2003 Awards :International Achievement Award – Bruce Smeaton :Best Feature Film Score –

Nigel Westlake Nigel Westlake (born 6 September 1958) is an Australian composer, musician and conductor. As a composer for the screen, his film credits include the feature films ''Ali's Wedding'', ''Paper Planes'', ''Miss Potter'', ''Babe'', '' Babe: Pig in the ...

for ''

The Nugget ''The Nugget'' is a 2002 Australian comedy film about three friends who find the world's largest nugget of gold. The film was one of a number financed by the Macquarie Film Corporation. Storyline The story concerns a group of three road workers ...

'' :Best Soundtrack Album –

Cezary Skubiszewski Cezary Jan Skubiszewski (born 1948) is a Polish-born Australian film and television composer. He composed the film scores for ''Two Hands'' (1999), ''Red Dog'' (2011), '' The Sapphires ('' 2012) and the TV series, '' Picnic at Hanging Rock'' ( ...

for '' After the Deluge'' *;2004 Awards :International Achievement Award –

Lisa Gerrard Lisa Germaine Gerrard ( ; born 12 April 1961) is an Australian musician, singer and composer and member of the group Dead Can Dance with music partner Brendan Perry. She is known for her unique singing style technique (glossolalia). She has a ...

:Best Feature Film Score – Elizabeth Drake for ''

Japanese Story ''Japanese Story'' is a 2003 Australian romantic drama film directed by Sue Brooks. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival. Plot Sandy Edwards (played by Toni Collette) is a director in a company that ...

'' :Best Soundtrack Album –

Iva Davies Ivor Arthur Davies, AM (born 22 May 1955), known professionally as Iva Davies, is an Australian singer, songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. Davies' music career spans more than 40 years. He came to prominence in t ...

, Christopher Gordon and

Richard Tognetti Richard Leo Tognetti AO (born 4 August 1965) is a leading Australian musician recognised internationally as a violin soloist, ensemble player, leader, composer and arranger, conductor and artistic director. He is currently artistic direct ...

for '' Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World'' *;2005 Awards :International Achievement Award –

Bruce Rowland Kenneth Bruce Rowland (born 9 May 1942 in Melbourne) is an Australian composer. Biography Rowland composed the soundtrack for the 1982 movie '' The Man from Snowy River'', as well as the soundtrack for its 1988 sequel '' The Man from Snowy ...

:Best Feature Film Score –

Ben Ely Benjamin Ely (born 13 September 1970) is an Australian musician and artist best known for his work with alternative rock band Regurgitator. Early life Born in Brisbane, Ely's family moved to the outer suburb of Cleveland. During his high scho ...

, Matthew Fitzgerald, Tom Schutzinger and Peter Kelly (

Decoder Ring Decoder Ring is an experimental electronic- rock crossover group from Australia. History Decoder Ring was formed in 2001, in Sydney, Australia. The original line-up consisted of Tom Schutzinger (Keyboards, drums), Geoff Towner (bass, El M ...

) for ''

Somersault A somersault (also ''flip'', ''heli'', and in gymnastics ''salto'') is an acrobatics, acrobatic exercise in which a person's body Rotation#Sports, rotates 360° around a horizontal axis with the feet passing over the Human head, head. A somersau ...

'' :Best Soundtrack Album – Roger Mason for '' The Extra'' *;2006 Awards :International Achievement Award – Peter Best :Best Feature Film Score – Francois Tetaz for '' Wolf Creek'' :Best Soundtrack Album –

David Bridie David Ross Hope Bridie is an Australian contemporary musician and songwriter. He was a founding mainstay member of world music band Not Drowning, Waving which released six studio albums to critical acclaim. He also formed a chamber pop group, ...

, Albert David and Kadu for '' RAN: Remote Area Nurse'' *;2007 Awards :International Achievement Award –

The Wiggles The Wiggles are an Australian children's music group formed in Sydney in 1991. As of 2022, the group members are Anthony Field, Lachlan Gillespie, Simon Pryce, Tsehay Hawkins, Evie Ferris, John Pearce (entertainer), John Pearce, Caterina Mete ...

:Best Feature Film Score –

for ''

Miss Potter ''Miss Potter'' is a 2006 biographical drama film directed by Chris Noonan. It is based on the life of children's author and illustrator Beatrix Potter, and combines stories from her own life with animated sequences featuring characters from her ...

'' :Best Soundtrack Album – Nigel Westlake for ''Miss Potter'' *;2008 Awards :International Achievement Award –

Garry McDonald Garry George McDonald AO (born 30 October 1948) is an Australian actor, satirist and comedian. In a career spanning five decades he has had many theatre, television and film roles, and has been listed as a National Living Treasure. He is bes ...

and Laurie Stone :Best Feature Film Score –

for '' Children of the Silk Road'' :Best Soundtrack Album –

Michael Yezerski Michael Yezerski is an Australian composer known for his scores for feature films such as '' The Waiting City'', '' The Black Balloon'' (for which he won an APRA Award and a Screen Music Award), ''Newcastle'', and ''Thursday's Fictions'', as wel ...

for '' The Black Balloon'' :Best Music for a Short Film - Geoffrey Russell for ''Noir Drive'' *;2009 Awards :International Achievement Award –

Guy Gross Guy Gross is an Australian film and television composer. He is known most for writing the award-winning music for the Australian science fiction series ''Farscape'' and the international hit film ''The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert ...

:Best Feature Film Score –

for ''

Balibo Balibo is a town in East Timor situated approximately from the Indonesian border. It is located in the sub-district of Balibo, Bobonaro District. It was estimated by Human Rights Watch that 70 percent of the town was destroyed dur ...

'' :Best Soundtrack Album –

for '' Death Defying Acts'' *;2010 Awards :Best Feature Film Score – Christopher Gordon for '' Mao's Last Dancer'' :Best Soundtrack Album – Christopher Gordon for '' Mao's Last Dancer'' *;2011 Awards :Best Feature Film Score – Jed Kurzel for ''

Snowtown Snowtown is a town located in the Mid North of South Australia 145 km (90 miles) north of Adelaide and lies on the main road and rail routes between Adelaide and Perth, Western Australia, Perth – the Augusta Highway and Adelaide-Port ...

'' :Best Soundtrack Album – Rafael May for ''

Road Train A road train, also known as a land train or long combination vehicle (LCV) is a semi-trailer used to move road freight more efficiently than single-trailer semi-trailers. It consists of one semi-trailer or more connected together with or wit ...

'' *;2012 Awards :Best Feature Film Score –

for ''

Burning Man Burning Man is a week-long large-scale desert event focused on "community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance" held annually in the Western United States. The event's name comes from its ceremony on the penultimate night of the event: the ...

'' :Best Soundtrack Album –

Michael Lira Michael Lira (born 19 February 1975) is an Australian film score composer and band leader. He is a founding member of experimental bands Vicious Hairy Mary, Darth Vegas and Monsieur Camembert. Soundtrack credits include the films '' Nekro ...

/ Jono Ma / Antony Partos / Irine Vela for '' The Slap'' *;2023 Screen Music Award Winners :Best Feature Film Score -

Benjamin Speed Benjamin Peter Speed is an Australian musician, producer, and composer. He previously performed and recorded as Mister Speed, Mr Speed, and more recently as Mister Benjamin Speed. He was vocalist and songwriter in the Australian alternative, el ...

for

The Portable Door ''The Portable Door'' is a 2023 Australian fantasy adventure comedy film directed by Jeffrey Walker and starring Patrick Gibson, Sophie Wilde, Sam Neill, and Christoph Waltz. The screenplay by Leon Ford is based on the 2003 novel of the same n ...

:Best Soundtrack Album -

for Blueback *; 2024 Screen Music Awards

Other awards

Emily Burrows Award

The Emily Burrows Award was instituted in 2001 in memory of Emily Burrows, a former APRA AMCOS membership representative and compliance officer. It is awarded to a

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

n artist or band annually with a $5,000 prize, to further their development and career.

Electric Fields Electric Fields is an Australian electronic music duo made up of vocalist Zaachariaha Fielding and keyboard player and producer Michael Ross. Electric Fields combine modern electric-soul music with Aboriginal culture and sing in Pitjantjatj ...

won it in 2016, with previous winners including

Hilltop Hoods Hilltop Hoods are an Australian hip hop group that formed in 1994 in Blackwood, Adelaide, South Australia. They are regarded as pioneers of the " larrikin-like" style of Australian hip hop. The group was founded by Suffa (Matthew David Lambert) ...

and The Beards, Dead Roo, and Ollie English In 2019 the prize was awarded at the

South Australian Music Awards The South Australian Music Awards, also known as SA Music Awards, commonly SAM Awards, formerly Fowler's Live Music Awards (FLMA), are annual awards that exist to recognise, promote and celebrate excellence in the South Australian contemporary m ...

(SAM Awards) for the first time, with Dead Roo winning the Award. Seabass were presented with the award at the SAM Awards in 2020, and

Tilly Tjala Thomas Tilly may refer to: Places France * Tilly, Eure, in the Eure ''département'' * Tilly, Indre, in the Indre ''département'' * Tilly, Yvelines, in the Yvelines ''département'' * Tilly-Capelle, in the Pas-de-Calais ''département'' * Tilly-la-C ...

won it in 2021. Thomas sings in both

Nukunu language Nukunu (or Nugunu or many other names: see below) is a moribund Australian Aboriginal language spoken by Nukunu people on Yorke Peninsula, South Australia. As of 2017, there is a revival and maintenance programme under way for the language. Na ...

and English, with her single "Ngana Nyunyi" sung in both. She won

triple j Unearthed Triple J Unearthed is an Australian digital radio station and online music discovery platform. It is a sister station of Triple J, owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Unearthed began in 1995 as a regional talent competition open to ...

's NIMAs competition, giving her the opportunity to play at the

National Indigenous Music Awards The National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMA), also known as the NT Indigenous Music Awards from 2004 to 2008, are music awards presented to recognise excellence, innovation and leadership among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicians in ...

in 2021. In 2023, Indigenous hip hop band from the

APY lands Annual percentage yield (APY) is a normalized representation of an interest rate, based on a compounding period of one year. APY figures allow a reasonable, single-point comparison of different offerings with varying compounding schedules. Howev ...

DEM MOB Dem Mob, stylised as DEM MOB, is an Aboriginal hip hop group from the APY lands in northern South Australia, the first to rap in the Pitjantjatjara language. Background Starting out as a musical trio comprising Jontae Lawrie and Elisha Umuhu ...

, won the award.

Top 30 Australian Songs (2001 only)

As part of its 75th anniversary celebrations in 2001, APRA created a list of the top 30 Australian songs. A panel of 100 music personalities were asked to list the ten best Australian songs, the data was compiled and the Top Ten in numerical order, was announced at the 2001 APRA Music Awards ceremony. At the ceremony

You Am I You Am I are an Australian power pop band, fronted by its lead singer-songwriter and guitarist, Tim Rogers. They formed in December 1989 and are the first Australian band to have released three successive albums that have each debuted at the ...

performed the #1 listed song "

Friday on My Mind "Friday on My Mind" is a 1966 song by Australian rock group the Easybeats. Written by band members George Young and Harry Vanda, the track became a worldwide hit, reaching No. 16 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in May 1967 in the US, No. ...

" with Ross Wilson performing the #2 listed song "

Eagle Rock Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...

". The next 20 songs in the Top 30 had been announced four weeks earlier.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:APRA Music Awards Australian music awards

APRA Music Awards (Australia)

Gold Awards

Song of the Year

Songwriter of the Year

The Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music

Breakthrough Songwriter Award

Awards for Most Performed Works

Art Music Awards (with AMC)

Richard Gill Award for Distinguished Services to Australian Music

Screen Music Awards (with AGSC)

Other awards

Emily Burrows Award

Top 30 Australian Songs (2001 only)

See also

References

External links