Winners of the 2026 Screen Music Awards Revealed

Held at Brisbane's Fortitude Music Hall on Wednesday night, the ceremony saw West Australian composers Josh Hogan and Ned Beckley emerge as the night's biggest winners, taking home four awards for their work on ABC animated series Tales from Outer Suburbia.

Presented by APRA AMCOS and the Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC), the annual awards recognise the creative and commercial achievements of Australia's screen music industry, with 16 categories spanning film, television, advertising and video games.

Hogan and Beckley collected Best Music for Children's Programming, Best Opening Title Television Theme and Best Soundtrack Album for Tales from Outer Suburbia. They also shared Best Original Song Composed for the Screen with Joni Hogan for "Nothing Stays the Same", featured in the series.

Fellow composers Adam Gock and Dinesh Wicks were also among the night's biggest winners, adding another three awards to their collection.

The longtime collaborators were named Most Performed Screen Composer – Australia for the 12th time, recognising their music featured across MasterChef, My Kitchen Rules and Travel Guides.

They also claimed Most Performed Screen Composer – Overseas for their work on Con Girl, Lego Masters and Married at First Sight, highlighting the international reach of Australian screen music.

The pair's third win came in the Best Music for Unscripted or Reality Television Series category for Million Dollar Secret, alongside fellow composers Adam Sofo, Brontë Horder, Cassie To, David Bruggemann, Lydia Davies, Mitch Stewart and Rory Chenoweth.

Elsewhere, Piers Burbrook de Vere and first-time winner Rose Mackenzie-Peterson secured Feature Film Score of the Year for their work on romantic comedy Addition.

Antony Partos continued his successful run at the awards, taking home Best Music for a Television Drama for the third episode of The Artful Dodger Season 2. The win brings his career tally to 19 Screen Music Awards.

Helena Czajka claimed her second consecutive Best Music for a Documentary award, this time for Sentient, while Christopher Larkin won Best Music for a Video Game or Other Interactive Media for his score to Hollow Knight: Silksong.

Finn Clarke was recognised as Emerging Screen Composer of the Year, following his Best Soundtrack Album win in 2025. The award also comes with two return domestic flights courtesy of Virgin Australia to support his next career opportunities.

Meanwhile, acclaimed composer Cezary Skubiszewski received the Distinguished Services to the Australian Screen award, recognising his contributions to the industry across more than three decades.

Known for his extensive work across Australian film and television, including Red Dog, Skubiszewski was presented with the honour by film producer Nelson Woss, with whom he collaborated on the film's soundtrack.

The ceremony also recognised several first-time winners, including Benjamin Lam for Best Music for an Advertisement for Lego – Project Vehicles, Nicholas Gardiner for Best Music for a Short Film for Trading Cards, and Georgina Darvidis, Matthew Sheers and Peter Corrigan for Best Music for a Television Comedy for The Witchy Girls.

Hosted by actor and singer Rob Collins, the event featured guest presenters Claudia Karvan and Ayesha Madon. Composer and performer Erkki Veltheim also returned for his final year as Music Director, leading a live orchestra through selections from the nominated scores.

See the full list of winners below.

2026 Screen Music Awards Winners:

Best Music for an Advertisement
Benjamin Lam – Lego – Project Vehicles

Best Music for Children's Programming
Ned Beckley and Josh Hogan – Tales from Outer Suburbia (Episode 10)

Best Music for a Documentary
Helena Czajka – Sentient

Best Music for a Short Film
Nicholas Gardiner – Trading Cards

Best Music for a Television Comedy
Peter Corrigan, Georgina Darvidis and Matthew Sheers – The Witchy Girls (Episode 6)

Best Music for a Television Drama
Antony Partos – The Artful Dodger (Season 2, Episode 3)

Best Music for Unscripted or Reality Television Series
Adam Gock, Dinesh Wicks, David Bruggemann, Rory Chenoweth, Lydia Davies, Brontë Horder, Adam Sofo, Mitch Stewart and Cassie To – Million Dollar Secret (Season 2)

Best Music for a Video Game or Other Interactive Media
Christopher Larkin – Hollow Knight: Silksong

Best Opening Title Television Theme
Ned Beckley and Josh Hogan – Tales from Outer Suburbia

Best Original Song Composed for the Screen
Ned Beckley, Joni Hogan and Josh Hogan – "Nothing Stays the Same" from Tales from Outer Suburbia

Best Soundtrack Album
Ned Beckley and Josh Hogan – Tales from Outer Suburbia

Feature Film Score of the Year
Piers Burbrook de Vere and Rose Mackenzie-Peterson – Addition

Emerging Screen Composer of the Year
Finn Clarke

Distinguished Services to the Australian Screen
Cezary Skubiszewski

Most Performed Screen Composer – Australia
Adam Gock and Dinesh Wicks – MasterChef, My Kitchen Rules, Travel Guides

Most Performed Screen Composer – Overseas
Adam Gock and Dinesh Wicks – Con Girl, Lego Masters, Married at First Sight