The APRA Music Awards in Australia are annual awards to celebrate excellence in contemporary music, which honour the skills of member

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

s, and

publisher Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

s who have achieved outstanding success in sales and airplay performance. 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 songwr ...

(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 songwri ...

(AMCOS). In addition to the APRA Music Awards, APRA AMCOS, in association with the Australian Music Centre, presents awards for

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

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, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

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, known as the Art Music Awards. It also runs, in association with the Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC), the Screen Music Awards, to acknowledge excellence in the field of screen composition.

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 production 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, whose ...

put out records by The Easybeats,

AC/DC AC/DC (stylised as ACϟDC) are an Australian Rock music, rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm Young, Malcolm and Angus Young. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock, and Heavy metal ...

and John Paul Young.

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 Australian Music Centre (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 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 Broadstock was b ...

, Brett Dean,

Ross Edwards Ross Edwards (born 1 December 1942) is a former Australian cricketer. Edwards played in 20 Test matches for Australia, playing against England, West Indies and Pakistan. He also played in nine One Day Internationals including the 1975 Crick ...

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 reclus ...

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 a number of installation and video projects. Her work reflects her int ...

, 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 neighboring Australia as well as from the impulse to bring together aspects of Aborigin ...

. 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 Australian Guild of Screen Composers (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, Ballarat, Victoria) is an Australian musician, film score composer and performer. As a musician he has been a member of Little River Band and John Farnham Band. He has composed film scores for many films ...

: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'' an ...

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 ''One Night the Moon'' is a 2001 Australian musical non-feature film starring husband and wife team Paul Kelly, a singer-songwriter, and Kaarin Fairfax, a film and television actress, along with their daughter Memphis Kelly. The film was dire ...

'' *;2003 Awards :International Achievement Award –

Bruce Smeaton Bruce Smeaton (born 5 March 1938) is an Australian composer who is well known for a variety of Australian film and television scores in all genres, including features, shorts, television, documentaries and advertisements. His scores include '' ...

:Best Feature Film Score –

Nigel Westlake Nigel Westlake 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 City'', '' Children of ...

for ''

The Nugget ''The Nugget'' is a 2002 Australian comedy film about three friends who find the world's largest nugget of gold. Storyline The story concerns a group of three road workers who stumble upon the world's biggest nugget of gold, and become instant ...

'' :Best Soundtrack Album –

Cezary Skubiszewski Cezary Skubiszewski is a Polish-born Australian film and television composer. Among others, he has composed film scores for '' Red Dog'', '' Two Hands'', '' The Sapphires'', and TV series '' Picnic at Hanging Rock''. Career Skubiszewski first m ...

for ''

After the Deluge ''After the Deluge'' is a 2003 Australian television miniseries starring Ray Barrett, David Wenham, Hugo Weaving and Samuel Johnson. It was first broadcast by Channel Ten in two parts in June 2003. Cast * David Wenham – Alex Kirby * Hugo We ...

'' *;2004 Awards :International Achievement Award –

Lisa Gerrard Lisa Germaine Gerrard (; born 12 April 1961) is an Australian musician, singer and composer who rose to prominence as part of the music group Dead Can Dance with music partner Brendan Perry. She is known for her unique singing style technique ( ...

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

Bruce Rowland 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 (1982 film), The Man from Snowy River'', as well as the soundtrack for its 1988 s ...

:Best Feature Film Score – Ben Ely, 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 Mopa) ...

) for '' Somersault'' :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. The group are currently composed of Anthony Field, Lachlan Gillespie, Simon Pryce and Tsehay Hawkins, as well as supporting members Evie Ferris, John Pearce, Ca ...

:Best Feature Film Score –

for ''

Miss Potter ''Miss Potter'' is a 2006 Biographical film, biographical Drama (film and television), 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 ...

'' :Best Soundtrack Album – Nigel Westlake for ''Miss Potter'' *;2008 Awards :International Achievement Award – Garry McDonald and Laurie Stone :Best Feature Film Score –

for ''

Children of the Silk Road ''The Children of Huang Shi'' (Chinese: ; working title: ''The Bitter Sea'', also known as ''Escape from Huang Shi'' and ''Children of the Silk Road'') is a 2008 historical war drama film directed by Roger Spottiswoode, and starring Jonathan Rhy ...

'' :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 well ...

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

for ''

Balibo Balibo is a town in East Timor situated approximately from the Indonesian border. It is located in the subdistrict of Balibo, Bobonaro District. It was estimated by Human Rights Watch that 70 per cent of the town was destroyed during th ...

'' :Best Soundtrack Album –

for ''

Death Defying Acts ''Death Defying Acts'' is a 2007 supernatural romance film, directed by Gillian Armstrong, and starring Guy Pearce and Catherine Zeta-Jones. It concerns an episode in the life of Hungarian- American escapologist Harry Houdini at the height of ...

'' *;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 – the Augusta Highway and Adelaide-Port Augusta railway line. The ...

'' :Best Soundtrack Album – Rafael May for '' Road Train'' *;2012 Awards :Best Feature Film Score –

for ''

Burning Man Burning Man is an event focused on community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance held annually in the western United States. The name of the event comes from its culminating ceremony: the symbolic burning of a large wooden effigy, referred ...

'' :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 gypsy swing ensemble Monsieur Camembert. Soundtrack credits include ...

/ Jono Ma / Antony Partos / Irine Vela for '' The Slap''

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 state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

n artist or band annually with a $5,000 prize, to further their development and career. Electric Fields won it in 2016, with previous winners including Hilltop Hoods 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 mu ...

(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'' Elsewhere * Tilly, Belgium, a village in the municipality of Villers ...

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. N ...

and English, with her single "Ngana Nyunyi" sung in both. She won the triple j unearthed'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.

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 performed the #1 listed song " Friday on My Mind" with Ross Wilson performing the #2 listed song "

Eagle Rock Eagle Rock may refer to: Entertainment * "Eagle Rock" (song), a hit single in 1971 by Australian band Daddy Cool * "Eagle Rock", a song by Motörhead * Eagle Rock Entertainment, a record label Places * Eagle Rock (formation), in California * Eag ...

". 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