APRA AMCOS’ Screen Music Awards Introduces New Categories

This year’s Screen Music Awards, which celebrates excellence in music composition for film, television, and interactive media, will feature three brand new categories.

Aimed at highlighting the evolving landscape of screen music, this October’s ceremony at Forum Melbourne, Naarm will include the category for Best Music for a Video Game or Other Interactive Media, acknowledging artistic brilliance and commercial success of composers in the gaming industry.

The October 29 ceremony will also see the first winner anointed as Emerging Screen Composer of the Year. The new category is designed to spotlight and nurture promising talent in the industry — a counterbalance to the Distinguished Services to the Australian Screen award.

Bringing the total number of categories to 16, the Awards will also see the introduction of a third new category, Best Music for Unscripted & Reality Television, which caters to the unique musical demands of reality TV, factual entertainment, and lifestyle programming.

Australian Guild of Screen Composers President Dale Cornelius said, “These new award categories are a vital addition to the Screen Music Awards, acknowledging our industry’s full spectrum of talent by shining a well-deserved spotlight on the diverse range of work by composers contributing to Australia’s vibrant screen landscape.”

The categories still include long-standing honours such as Feature Film Score of the Year and Best Original Song Composed for the Screen. However, the existing Best Music for a Television Series category has been divided into two distinct awards: Best Music for a Television Comedy and Best Music for a Television Drama, to better recognise the unique requirements of these genres.

Other award categories cover children’s programming, documentaries, mini-series/ telemovies, short films and feature films.

The most performed screen composer in Australia and overseas will be determined by statistics while the Distinguished Services to the Australian Screen gong will be decided by the APRA board.

Returning to host the event is comedian Susie Youssef, with Erkki Veltheim once again taking the helm as Musical Director, leading a live orchestra to bring the nominated works to life.

Nominees for the 2024 Screen Music Awards will be announced in late September.

Presented by APRA AMCOS and the Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC), the 2024 Screen Music Awards returns to the Forum Melbourne, Naarm on Tuesday, October 29th.