2025 AIR Awards Nominees Revealed, New Award Category Announced

The Australian Independent Record Labels Association Music Awards – best known as the AIR Awards – has revealed this year’s massive list of nominees.

Celebrating the best of Australian independent music, the annual AIR Awards will return to Adelaide Town Hall on Thursday, 31 July, for an invite-only industry event.

The AIR Awards recognise, promote, and celebrate the music made in Australia’s independent music sector. More than 250 individual awards have been presented over the years, often offering an artist’s first bit of industry recognition that goes on to help facilitate national and international attention.

For this year’s Breakthrough Artist of the Year category, hip-hop, rock, and alternative music are represented, with 3%, Gut Health, Miss Kaninna, Queenie, and The Dreggs nominated for the prestigious award.

Meanwhile, Alice Ivy, Amyl And The Sniffers, Jem Cassar-Daley, Ocean Alley, and Sycco make up the Independent Song of the Year nominees, and Amyl And The Sniffers and The Dreggs again appear in the Independent Album of the Year category with Emily Wurramara, King Stingray, and Royel Otis.

In addition to its usual awards, AIR has introduced a new category: Independent Mix, Studio, or Mastering Engineer of the Year. The award recognises an Australian/Australian-based Mix, Studio, or Mastering Engineer who was responsible for an Australian Independent album released during the eligibility period.

You can find the complete list of AIR Awards nominees below.

The SA Minister for Arts, Andrea Michaels MP, said of this year’s awards: “The Malinauskas Government is proud to support the AIR Awards and Indie Week - Australian Edition. It is fantastic to be hosting the awards here in Adelaide again – Australia’s only UNESCO City of Music – and I congratulate all of the nominees.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity to recognise the work the independent music industry does in providing talented and emerging artists and music businesses with a platform to share their art with a wider audience.”

The award ceremony occurs between the Indie-Con Australia Conference and A2IM’s Indie Week Australian Edition, which takes place at Mercury Cinema from Wednesday, 30 July, to Friday, 1 August. Speakers and further program details will be announced next month; you can purchase Early Bird tickets here.

2025 AIR AWARDS NOMINEES

BEST INDEPENDENT BLUES AND ROOTS ALBUM OR EP

EMMA DONOVAN - TIL MY SONG IS DONE

LITTLE QUIRKS - LITTLE QUIRKS

MIA DYSON - TENDER HEART

QUEENIE - NEW MOULT

STEPH STRINGS - CRADLE MOUNTAIN

BEST INDEPENDENT HIP HOP ALBUM OR EP

3% - KILL THE DEAD

DOBBY - WARRANGU; RIVER STORY

LITHE - WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

MISS KANINNA - KANINNA

ZIGGY RAMO - HUMAN?

BEST INDEPENDENT COUNTRY ALBUM OR EP

HENRY WAGONS - THE FOUR SEASONS

KASEY CHAMBERS - BACKBONE

LANE PITTMAN - LANE PITTMAN

MICHAEL WAUGH - BEAUTY & TRUTH

THE WHITLAMS BLACK STUMP - KOOKABURRA

BEST INDEPENDENT JAZZ ALBUM OR EP

CLAIRE CROSS - SLEEP CYCLE

LUCY CLIFFORD - BETWEEN SPACES OF KNOWING

MOLLY LEWIS - ON THE LIPS

PARVYN - MAUJUDA

SAM ANNING - EARTHEN

BEST INDEPENDENT CLASSICAL ALBUM OR EP

AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA - MEMOIR OF A SNAIL

ELECTRIC FIELDS X MELBOURNE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA - LIVE IN CONCERT

KATIE NOONAN & KARIN SCHAUPP - SONGS OF THE SOUTHERN SKIES VOL 2

NAT BARTSCH - FOREVER CHANGED

SIMON MAVIN - SOME DAYS EP

BEST INDEPENDENT CHILDREN’S ALBUM OR EP

BUNNY RACKET - POWER

EMMA MEMMA - TWIRLY TUNES

TEENY TINY STEVIES - THE GREEN ALBUM

THE QUOKKAS - SONGS FOR SILLY BILLIES

THE WIGGLES - THE WIGGLES SOUND SYSTEM: RAVE OF INNOCENCE

BEST INDEPENDENT DANCE, ELECTRONICA OR CLUB SINGLE

ALICE IVY - DO I NEED TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS? FEAT. JOSH TESKEY

CONFIDENCE MAN - I CAN’T LOSE YOU

HAIKU HANDS - KICKS

MOKTAR - HARAKA ’حركة’

ODD MOB - VERTIGO FEAT. ED GRAVES

BEST INDEPENDENT PUNK ALBUM OR EP

DON’T THANK ME, SPANK ME! - DON’T THANK ME, SPANK ME!

DUNE RATS - IF IT SUCKS, TURN IT UP

GUT HEALTH - STILETTO

RADIO FREE ALICE - POLYESTER

REGURGITATOR - INVADER

BEST INDEPENDENT HEAVY ALBUM OR EP

NORTHLANE - MIRROR’S EDGE

OCEAN GROVE - ODDWORLD

REDHOOK - MUTATION

THE AMITY AFFLICTION - LET THE OCEAN TAKE ME (REDUX)

THE SOUTHERN RIVER BAND - D.I.Y

BEST INDEPENDENT DANCE OR ELECTRONICA ALBUM OR EP

1TBSP - MEGACITY1000

ALICE IVY - DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY

CONFIDENCE MAN - 3AM (LA LA LA)

NINAJIRACHI - GIRL EDM

PNAU - HYPERBOLIC

BEST INDEPENDENT ROCK ALBUM OR EP

AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS - CARTOON DARKNESS

KING STINGRAY - FOR THE DREAMS

PARTY DOZEN - CRIME IN AUSTRALIA

ROYEL OTIS - PRATTS & PAIN

THE RIONS - HAPPINESS IN A PLACE IT SHOULDN’T BE

BEST INDEPENDENT SOUL/RNB ALBUM OR EP

BECKAH AMANI - THIS IS HOW I REMEMBER IT.

DON WEST - DON WEST

ELLA THOMPSON - RIPPLE ON THE WING

MILAN RING - MANGOS

RADICAL SON - BILAMBIYAL

BEST INDEPENDENT POP ALBUM OR EP

ANNIE HAMILTON - STOP AND SMELL THE LIGHTNING 

ASHA JEFFERIES - EGO RIDE

EMMA RUSSACK - ABOUT THE GIRL

GOOD MORNING - GOOD MORNING SEVEN

SHEPPARD - ZORA

BREAKTHROUGH INDEPENDENT ARTIST OF THE YEAR – PRESENTED BY PPCA

3%

GUT HEALTH

MISS KANINNA

QUEENIE

THE DREGGS

INDEPENDENT SONG OF THE YEAR

ALICE IVY - DO I NEED TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS? FEAT. JOSH TESKEY

AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS - U SHOULD NOT BE DOING THAT

JEM CASSAR-DALEY - BIG CONTAINER

OCEAN ALLEY - TANGERINE

SYCCO - MEANT TO BE

INDEPENDENT ALBUM OF THE YEAR

AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS - CARTOON DARKNESS

EMILY WURRAMARA - NARA

KING STINGRAY - FOR THE DREAMS

ROYEL OTIS - PRATTS & PAIN

THE DREGGS - CAUGHT IN A REVERIE

BEST INDEPENDENT LABEL 

ABC MUSIC

DINOSAUR CITY

ETCETC.

I OH YOU

IMPRESSED RECORDINGS

INDEPENDENT MARKETING TEAM OF THE YEAR

ABC MUSIC, THE ANNEX - EMILY WURRAMARA, NARA

FUTURE CLASSIC, THE ANNEX - SYCCO, ZORB

GYROSTREAM - LITHE, FALL BACK

I OH YOU, MUSHROOM MUSIC - CONFIDENCE MAN, 3AM (LA LA LA)

OURNESS, THE ANNEX - ROYEL OTIS, PRATTS & PAIN

INDEPENDENT PUBLICITY TEAM OF THE YEAR

I OH YOU, MUSHROOM MUSIC - CONFIDENCE MAN, 3AM (LA LA LA)

LIZ ANSLEY - EMILY WURRAMARA, NARA

SUPER DUPER - RADIO FREE ALICE, POLYESTER

THINKING LOUD - ROYEL OTIS, PRATTS & PAIN

TWNTY THREE PR - THE RIONS, HAPPINESS IN A PLACE IT SHOULDN’T BE

INDEPENDENT MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR

CLAUDIA SANGIORGI DALIMORE - EMILY WURRAMARA, LORDY LORDY FT. TASMAN KEITH

NICK RAE, JORDAN RUYI BLANCH - 3%, WON’T STOP FEAT. JESSICA MAUBOY

POND - POND, (I’M) STUNG!

ROSEMARY WHATMUFF - KASEY CHAMBERS, BACKBONE (THE DESERT CHILD)

STEPHANIE JANE DAY - EMMA RUSSACK, EVERYTHING IS BIG

INDEPENDENT PRODUCER OF THE YEAR

ALICE IVY - DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY

BONNIE KNIGHT - COLDWAVE, THE ANTS/ITALIA ’06

DAVE HAMMER - LIME CORDIALE, ENOUGH OF THE SWEET TALK

NICK DIDIA - OCEAN ALLEY, TANGERINE

NINA WILSON - NINAJIRACHI, GIRL EDM

INDEPENDENT MIX, STUDIO OR MASTERING ENGINEER OF THE YEAR

NICK HERRERA - MISS KANINNA, KANINNA

ROBERT MUINOS - ROWENA WISE, SENSELESS ACTS OF BEAUTY

ROHAN SFORCINA, LACHLAN CARRICK - EMMA DONOVAN, TIL MY SONG IS DONE

STEVEN SCHRAM - CROWDED HOUSE, GRAVITY STAIRS

TOM IANSEK - TOM SNOWDON, LONELY TREE