Nominations Now Open For 2025 National Indigenous Music Awards

The National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMAs) will return this August, and for the first time in its storied, 20-year history, the ceremony will be live-streamed globally on YouTube.

Taking place on Saturday, 9 August, at the Darwin Amphitheatre in Garamilla/Darwin, nominations for this year’s awards opened today, encouraging supporters to nominate their favourite artist, music release and more over the past year. You can find all the categories below.

Nominations are now open via the NIMA website and close on Friday, 13 June. Before the ceremony, more announcements will be made, including a performance line-up that organisers already tease “that’s not to be missed.”

Alumni performers at the NIMAs include Yothu Yindi, Dr G. Yunupingu (Gurrumul), Jessica Mauboy, and Dan Sultan. The awards and cultural touchstone have also become home to current-day trailblazers such as 3% and Miss Kaninna.

By partnering with YouTube, Music NT and the video streaming giant will work to create new initiatives that celebrate and honour Indigenous music while catapulting the NIMAs to the spotlight.

NIMAs 2025 Creative Producer Libby Collins said of the upcoming event, “The NIMAs are excited to be back for 2025 and continuing to celebrate First Nations achievement on the big stage, here on Larrakia Land. Alongside our new partner, YouTube, we look forward to seeing everyone in Garramilla (Darwin) in August!”

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Ed Miles, Head of YouTube Australia and New Zealand, added, “It’s a truly special year for both YouTube and the NIMAs as we each celebrate two decades of impact. For 20 years, YouTube has been a launchpad for artists worldwide, and the NIMAs have been championing Indigenous music in Australia.

“This partnership underscores our common vision: to empower artists and ensure their stories and sounds resonate with audiences everywhere, and we can't wait to spotlight incredible First Nations talent and share these spectacular awards with the world.”

Presented by YouTube