The 2026 SA Music Awards - presented by MusicSA - transformed the hallowed halls of the Adelaide Entertainment Centre into a red carpet extravaganza to celebrate the biggest names in South Australian music and the rich diversity the state has to offer.
To herald in the celebrations Western Arrernte singer-songwriter Rob Edwards performs a mesmerising rendition of an unreleased song with a full band. It’s a stark contrast - but just as captivating - to his solo-acoustic performance of the song at the Regional & Remote Music Summit a few weeks ago.
Cliffy Wilson, a proud Kaurna, Narungga, Ngarrindjeri, Ngadjuri and Arrente man, alongside Jie Martin, welcomes the audience to Country.
Newly appointed MusicSA chair Adrian Tisato reflects on the state of the industry and acknowledges that “we are living in difficult times.” He goes on to say that the music industry is “living in a post-apocalypse”.
“First Napster, then streaming, then COVID, now AI. Here’s the thing about post-apocalypse, we’re still here. We’re still making music,” which is welcomed by a rallying cry from the crowd.
The dynamic emcee duo of Troy Sincock and Sosefina Fuamoli masterfully guide the proceedings with humour and charm as they begin with the industry awards. Best Live Music Photograph is first, with Justin White winning for a precisely timed snap of I Killed The Prom Queen guitarist Jona Weinhofen frozen mid-air.
Elsy Wameyo wins her first award of the night for Best Music Video, and institutions like the Hindley Street Music Hall and WOMADelaide win Best Live Music Venue and Best Large Festival.
Rachel Whitford wins Best Manager for her work with bands like Towns, The Tullamarines and Heartline. Whitford reflects on her year, which has had more ups and downs than any other year in music. She says, “If you’re looking for a sign to keep going in music, in your careers, anything. This is your sign, don’t give up.”
To lead into the interval, folk artist Ella Ion performs a stripped-back but enthralling performance as she takes to the stage with guitar in hand, accompanied by a cellist.
The audience is welcomed back by pop-R&B artist Nat Luna. The performance is evidence of why Luna is quickly emerging as one of the most exciting emerging voices in South Australian music.
BAD//DREEMS receive their induction into the SA Music Hall of Fame as they ride off into the sunset. The induction is a feat that feels too premature considering their age; they are the most recently formed band to get an induction. However, as a pillar of South Australian music, it’s well-deserved for a group that achieved so much in such a short amount of time.
Nancy Bates composes herself after a championing introduction from Tisato, who highlighted how deserving Bates is of the Community Achievement Award for her work in education and music. Bates reflects on the 2,600 generations of song people on this land before her, whom she is representing here tonight.
She addresses every music maker in this room, asking them to be “very conscious of the time that we are living in.”
“With fascism on the horizon, and the Nazis walking our streets. If you want to be an ally, then be one. And be it through your music. Take your voice and say something in this time that will resonate for seven generations.”
The People’s Choice Awards are filled with the public-voted favourites and shining gems of their genres. The long list includes Caressa for country, Sacrificial Larynx for heavy, Effie Isobel for pop and Live Slug Reaction for jazz.
The Major Awards see First Nations Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara hip hop group DEM MOB win their first award of the night for Best Music Educator. It’s a topic they dived into during the Regional & Remote Music Summit as Basso, Gully and PAYDAE are creating a pathway for kids in the APY Lands to get into music development and have the same opportunities that DEM MOB has been afforded.
By the end of the night, DEM MOB won Best Regional Artist and Best Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Artist, officially making them the most decorated artist in the history of the SA Music Awards with 13 awards in just the past four years.
Elsy Wameyo ends the night with three awards, winning Best Solo Artist and Best Music Video.
However, one of the fastest-rising indie-rock bands in the nation, Swapmeet, took home four awards. This included three major awards for Best Song for I Know!, Best Group, and Best Release (EP/Album) for Mount Zero; along with the People’s Choice Award for Rock.
The South Australian night of nights are farewelled by the five-piece folk-stylings of Any Young Mechanic as the young - and young at heart - journeyed a few steps across the road for the official afterparty at The Gov.
Check out the full list of winners from the 2026 SA Music Awards below.
2026 SA Music Awards Winners
MAJOR AWARDS
Presented by Moshtix
Best Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Artist
SPONSORED BY NOVATECH
Dem Mob
Best Group
SPONSORED BY MOSHTIX
Swapmeet
Best New Artist
SPONSORED BY WOMADELAIDE
The Tullamarines
Best Regional Artist
SPONSORED BY COUNTRY ARTS SA
Dem Mob
Best Release (EP / Album)
SPONSORED BY AGAINST THE GRAIN
Swapmeet – Mount Zero
Best Solo Artist
SPONSORED BY GA ENTERTAINMENT
Elsy Wameyo
Best Song
SPONSORED BY THREE D
Swapmeet – I Know!
INDUSTRY AWARDS
Presented by The Music
Best Cover Art
SPONSORED BY VISUALCOM
The Tullamarines – Safety Blanket
Best Large Music Festival
SPONSORED BY EVENT RIGGING SOLUTIONS
WOMADelaide
Best Live Music Photograph
SPONSORED BY THE AUSTRAL
Justin White – I Killed the Prom Queen
Best Live Music Venue
SPONSORED BY AHA
Hindley Street Music Hall
Best Live Production Crew
SPONSORED BY ALMBC
Letisha Ackland
Best Manager
SPONSORED BY ADELAIDE VENUE MANAGEMENT
Rachel Whitford
Best Music Educator
SPONSORED BY CARCLEW
DEM MOB
Best Music Video
SPONSORED BY JC DECAUX
Elsy Wameyo – Elsy Wameyo (WAMEYO)
Best Regional Music festival, Venue or Event
SPONSORED BY AHA
Space Jams
Best Small Festival
SPONSORED BY WOODVILLE TOWN HALL
Caltowie Chilled Out ’n’ Fired Up Music
Best Studio
SPONSORED BY SAE
Wundenberg’s Recording Studio
Best Studio Engineer / Producer
SPONSORED BY ADELAIDE BACKLINE AND PRODUCTION HIRE
James Brown
PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARDS
Presented by The Note
Blues & Roots
SPONSORED BY DERRINGERS
The Sundials
Country
SPONSORED BY THE NOTE
Caressa
Electronic
SPONSORED BY STOREDJ
Seek N Destroy
Experimental & Art
SPONSORED BY ADELAIDE FESTIVAL
Praise Mangena
Folk
SPONSORED BY NOVATECH
Any Young Mechanic
Heavy
SPONSORED BY FROTH AND FURY FESTIVAL
Sacrificial Larynx
Hip Hop
SPONSORED BY THE GOV
Elsy Wameyo
Jazz
SPONSORED BY ODDIO
Live Slug Reaction
Pop
SPONSORED BY HINDLEY ST MUSIC HALL
effie isobel
Punk
SPONSORED BY PIRATELIFE
TOWNS
Rock
SPONSORED BY UNIBAR
Swapmeet
Soul / Funk / RnB
SPONSORED BY NEXSTAGE
OPULENCE
THE SPECIAL AWARDS
The Neville Clark Award
Ellie Moffatt - SAE Creative Media Institute
Felicity Slee – TAFE SA.
UNESCO Best International Collaboration Award
Breeze
MusicSA Community Achievement Award
Nancy Bates
