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.
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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
