These Are The Aussies Up For International Dance Music Awards

Acclaimed local artists Peking Duk and Knife Party, Melbourne label Balance, and tenuously claimed expats Sia and Iggy Azalea, make up the Australian contingent of nominees for this year's impending International Dance Music Awards, arguably the biggest such ceremony in the world.

At this year's event, the 30th annual iteration of the DMAs, Sia leads the Aussie-bred charge with three nods for the ceremony: Best Commercial/Pop Dance Track, for Chandelier; Best Artist (Solo); Best Music Video, once again for the ubiquitous Chandelier. Knife Party weren't far behind, netting two nominations: one for Best Dubstep/Drum & Bass Track, for Give It Up, as well as the wider acknowledgment as finalists for the Best Dubstep/Drum & Bass DJ award. 

Peking Duk are up for the award of Best Indie Dance Track for their universally lauded track High, featuring Nicole Millar; they're up against the likes of Royksopp & Robyn's Do It Again, The 2 Bears' Not This Time and TIGA's Bugatti. Iggy herself is also up for one award — Best Rap/Hip Hop/Trap Dance Track, for Fancy, featuring Charli XCX, where she stares down competition from arch-rival Azealia Banks and her contemporaries such as Nicki Minaj, Schoolboy Q and DJ Snake & Lil Jon — but also scores a default mention for her featured role on Jennifer Lopez's Booty.

Balance, meanwhile, scored its Best Compilation Or Full-Length DJ Mix nomination for its Balance 025 release, mixed by US artist Danny Tenaglia.

Globally recognised DJs such as Armin van Buuren, Calvin Harris, David Guetta, Hardwell and Skrillex dominate the broader list of categories, somewhat expectedly, while the awards are distinct in their concentrated focus on a diversity of industry aspects, with prizes for everything from Best Music App to Manufacturer Of The Year, Best DJ Software, Best Mixer and even Best Headphones.

Voting for the awards is open now, ending on 2 March. The 30th annual International Dance Music Awards, part of the yearly Winter Music Conference, will be held on Thursday, 26 March, in Miami, Florida. See the event website for more information.