Over 250 Aussie albums eligible for $30k Australian Music Prize

Albums from Thelma Plum, Hatchie, Cub Sport, Stella Donnelly and Two People are among the first to be nominated for the coveted Australian Music Prize.

Organisers of the Australian Music Prize have also introduced a new look and an expanded cohort of 37 judges to create a definitive list of the year’s best albums.

The winner will receive $30,000 in cash.

“In its fifteenth year, the Australian Music Prize has never been more vital in our music ecosystem, so it was important for us to show the evolution of the prize with a refreshing new look and an expansion of judges,” said Australian Music Prize director Scott Murphy.

“Our processes have listed over 250 eligible albums so far this year, which is an unbelievable nod to the amazing body of work being produced by Australian musicians every year.”

A longlist judging panel has also been revealed today, bringing together music media, retailers and artists from across Australia to nominate the best albums of the year.

Judging on artistic merit alone and with no reference to commercial success, those albums
then make up the list of official nominations.

At the end of the year, a shortlist of 9 albums are chosen by a smaller shortlist judging panel in an intensive in-person multi-day process discussing the artistry of each album.

After intensively listening to those 9 shortlisted albums, the judges reconvene in
March to discuss and select a winner.

Other nominees announced today include Alex Lahey, Julia Jacklin and Polish Club.

Judges include artists Abbe May and Tim Freedman, and journalists Cameron Adams and Rod Yates.

View a full list of nominated albums and judged on the new Australian Music Prize website.

Previous winners including Gurrumul, Sampa the Great, Courtney Barnett, Hermitude, The Jezabels, Eddy Current Suppression Ring and The Drones.