The Nominations For The 2023 Queensland Music Awards Are Now Open

Nominations for the 2023 Queensland Music Awards opened today and will close on 28 November at 11:59 pm.

The ceremony will be produced and presented by QMusic and held on Tuesday, 28 March 2023, at The Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley, with live performances from the state's best and brightest artists between awards. 

Artists who released singles and music videos between 1 December 2021 to 30 November 2022 are eligible to nominate themselves in more than 20 categories; venues and festivals can also nominate for the People's Choice Awards, which will be decided by the public and an expert industry panel.

QMusic CEO Kris Stewart urges all who are eligible to submit their art for this year's awards, saying, "The QMAs play a vital role in recognising homegrown talent. It's a rare chance to surface new talent and bring together our community to celebrate the passion and tenacity that makes our industry great. 

"From household names Keith Urban, Amy Shark and Sheppard to artists like Sycco, The Jungle Giants, Jesswar and Hope D, it's clear that the talent coming out of Queensland is as strong as ever."

As well as award nominations, applications for the $15,000 Billy Thorpe Scholarship and Carol Lloyd Award are also open. 

The Scholarship originated in 2010 in honour of the great Mashed Potato singer, who spent his formative years in Brisbane and gave back to the Australian and local music scene. Past Scholarship winners include Sam Hales of The Jungle Giants, Jeremy Neale, Greta Stanley and Beckah Amani. The Carol Lloyd Award awards $15,000 to an emerging female-identifying or non-binary Queensland musician to record an album or an EP and tour in honour of our original rock chick, Carol Lloyd. Sahara Beck, Leanne Tennant and Moreton are previous recipients of the award.

Queensland's Minister For The Arts, Leanne Enoch, also encourages the state's contemporary music; she writes, "The Queensland Government recognises the important role of artists, arts workers and businesses across the live music sector, and the Queensland Music Awards acknowledge our great wealth of talent and raise the profile of Queensland artists. 

"The Queensland Music Awards is an important showcase of our best and brightest music talent and supports the delivery of our ten-year strategy Creative Together 2020-2030 and its priority to share our stories and celebrate our storytellers."

Read more about the Queensland Music Awards on the website.