Queensland’s finest are celebrating today, as the finalists for the 2025 Queensland Music Awards (QMAs) were announced this morning.

The competition is set to be fierce, with eight artists garnering multiple nominations. Standout artists from that pack are singer-songwriter Thelma Plum, nominated for the Indigenous Award and the Pop Award, indie-rockers Beddy Rays, also nominated for the Indigenous Award as well as the Rock Award, and the Grammy-nominated Tibetan artist Tenzin Choegyal, nominated for the Folk Award and the Music for Screen Award.

Other big names up for awards this year include Jem Cassar-Daley, with Big Container as a finalist for the Indigenous Award, Confidence Man, with I CAN’T LOSE YOU up for the Pop Award, and Matt Hsu’s Obscure Orchestra, with LIVE LAUGH DECOLONISE in the Hip Hop category. You can find the full list of finalists here.

The winners in each of the 18 categories will be decided by a panel of more than 100 national and international industry figures, and announced on March 25, at the Queensland Music Awards ceremony in the Fortitude Music Hall.

QMusic CEO Kris Stewart said this year’s nominees underscore the QMAs’ role in celebrating and elevating Queensland’s artists: “For 20 years, the QMAs have been a launchpad for homegrown artists, highlighting the extraordinary talent coming from all corners of the state. What’s particularly exciting is seeing emerging stars holding their own against some of Australia’s most established names – it's tomorrow's future music legends, neck and neck with today's.”

Voting is open now for the People’s Choice Award categories of Regional Venue of the Year, Metro Venue of the Year, Accessible Venue of the Year, Festival of the Year, and the newly-added Album of the Year. A whopping 35 albums have been nominated, spanning pop, rock, country, soul, folk, and heavy. Notable acts include The Dreggs’ award-winning Caught In A Reverie, Confidence Man’s party-ridden 3AM (LA LA LA) and 3%’s barrier-breaking KILL THE DEAD. Place your vote here.

Tickets to attend the QMAs, open to anyone in the general public, are on sale now, via Ticketmaster.

Some of the big winners at last year’s QMAs were Jem Cassar-Daley, Cub Sport, Fisher & Kita Alexander, FELONY., Tori Forsyth, Busby Marou, Tia Gostelow, and Joff Bush.

Cassar-Daley, who won both the Song of the Year Award as well as the Pop Award, couldn’t speak more highly of the night:

“Receiving Song of the Year at this year’s QMAs is easily the biggest highlight of my career thus far. To be surrounded by my peers and Brisbane’s strong music community meant the absolute world to me and that night is full of moments I will never forget! I always look forward to seeing Queensland musicians absolutely killing it and can’t wait to see our artists getting the recognition they deserve.”