The Avalanches & Flume Lead The First Batch Of 2016 ARIA Nominations

ARIA has today announced the first round of nominations for their annual award season.

With The Avalanches and Flume leading the nominations, all the contenders were revealed for this year's Fine Arts, Artisan and Best Comedy categories.

The two artists are nominated against each other in the Producer Of The Year category, while both their albums are also nominated in the Engineer Of The Year and Best Cover Art categories.

And, the comedy category finds the now disbanded The Beards nominated with Kate Miller-Heidke for their collaboration I'm Growing A Beard Downstairs For Christmas. Miller-Heidke re-appears in the soundtrack category.

The full nominations are:

Producer Of The Year

Harley Streten for Flume - Skin (Future Classic); M-Phazes for Illy - Papercuts (ft. Vera Blue) (Warner Music Australia); Tony Buchen for Montaigne - Glorious Heights (Wonderlick Recording Company); Robbie Chater and Tony Di Blasi for The Avalanches - Wildflower (Modular/EMI); Alex Hope for Troye Sivan - Blue Neighbourhood (EMI)

Engineer Of The Year

Nick DiDia for Bernard Fanning - Civil Dusk (Dew Process/Universal); Eric J Dubowsky and Harley Streten for Flume - Skin (Future Classic); M-Phazes for Illy - 'Papercuts (ft. Vera Blue) (Warner Music Australia); Tony Espie and Robbie Chater for The Avalanches - Wildflower (Modular / EMI); Alex Hope for Troye Sivan - Blue Neighbourhood (EMI)

Best Cover Art

Karen Lynch for Bernard Fanning - Civil Dusk (Dew Process/Universal); Kristen Doyle for Delta Goodrem - Wings Of The Wild (Sony Music Australia); Jonathan Zawada for Flume - Skin (Future Classic); Jack Vanzet for RÜFÜS - Bloom (Sweat It Out / Sony Music Australia); Robbie Chater for Lost Art for The Avalanches - Wildflower (Modular/EMI)

Best Classical Album

Flight Facilities - Live With The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (Future Classic); Joe Chindamo & Zoe Black - The New Goldberg Variations (AlFi Records / Planet); Katie Noonan & Brodsky Quartet - With Love And Fury (Kin Music/Universal Music); Nicole Car - The Kiss (ABC Classics/Universal Music); Richard Tognetti & Australian Chamber Orchestra - Mozart's Last Symphonies (ABC Classics/Universal Music)

Best Jazz Album

Don Burrows & James Morrison - In Good Company (ABC Jazz/Universal Music); Emma Pask - Cosita Divina (Independent/Emma Pask Music); Stu Hunter - The Migration (The Habitat Productions); The Idea Of North - Ballads (ABC Jazz/Universal Music); Vince Jones & Paul Grabowsky - Provenance (ABC Jazz/Universal Music)

Best Original Soundtrack/Cast/Show Album

Josh Pyke & The Sydney Symphony Orchestra - Live At The Sydney Opera House (ABC Music/Universal Music); Kate Miller-Heidke - The Rabbits (Original Live Cast Recording) (ABC Classics/Universal Music); Queensland Symphony Orchestra - Gallipoli Symphony (ABC Classics/Universal Music);Various Artists - The Divorce (Original Cast Recording) (Universal Music Australia); Various Artists - Velvet: The Original Cast Recording (Social Family Records/Universal Music Australia)

Best World Music Album

Gawurra - Ratja Yaliyali (CAAMA Music/Rocket); Joseph Tawadros - World Music (Independent/Planet); Melbourne Ska Orchestra - Sierra Kilo Alpha (FOUR FOUR/Universal Music); Paul Grabowsky/Monash Art Ensemble/David Ngukurr Boy Wilfred/David Yipininy Wilfred - Nyilipidgi (ABC Jazz/Universal Music); Seaman Dan - An Old Man Of The Sea (Hot Records)

BEST COMEDY RELEASE

Kate Miller-Heidke - I'm Growing A Beard Downstairs For Christmas (feat. The Beards) (Cooking Vinyl Australia); Luke Heggie - You're Not Special/Anythink is Possible (Century Entertainment); Matt & Alex - Play It Out (ABC Music/Universal Music); Roy & HG - This Sporting Life (ABC Music/Universal Music)

The winners of these categories will be announced at the ARIA Nominations Event on Wednesday 5 October.

ARIA Week then begins on November 18 and the 2016 ARIA Awards will be presented on Wednesday 23 November to be broadcast on Ten.