Thelma Plum, Cub Sport & More Nominated For The 2019 Australian Music Prize

The first batch of nominees has been unveiled for the 2019 Australian Music Prize (AMP), with some of the country’s best acts, including Thelma Plum, Cub Sport, Alex Lahey, Stella Donnelly and more, vying for the prestigious award.

Now in its 15th year, the highly-coveted award – which celebrates “the album as an important artistic format” – will also be accompanied by a $30,000 cash prize, with the winner unveiled next March.

The 20 albums below currently make up the longlist, with “many more” to be announced in the coming months.

Alex Lahey – The Best Of Luck Club

Andrea Keller – Transients Volume 1

Charlie Collins - Snowpine

Cub Sport – Cub Sport

Daggy Man – I’m Going To Love As Long As I Live

Dispossessed – Warpath Never Ended

Emma Russack – Winter Blues

Hatchie – Keepsake

Jess Ribeiro – Love Hate

Julia Jacklin – Crushing

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Fishing For Fishies

Mansionair – Shadowboxer

Martin Frawley – Undone At 31

Methyl Ethel – Triage

Olympia - Flamingo

Polish Club - Iguana

Stella Donnelly – Beware Of The Dogs

Sunbeam Sound Machine – Goodness Gracious

Thelma Plum – Better In Blak

Two People – First Body

The judging panel this year will also expand to include music media, retailers and artists from across Australia, all of whom will nominate the best albums of the year for the longlist, before a smaller judging panel selects nine albums for the shortlist.

“The Australian Music Prize has never been more vital in our music ecosystem, so it was important for us to show the evolution of the prize with a refreshing new look and an expansion of judges,” Australian Music Prize director Scott Murphy said. 

“Our processes have listed over 250 eligible albums so far this year, which is an unbelievable nod to the amazing body of work being produced by Australian musicians every year.”

The 2018 Australian Music Prize was awarded to Gurrumul for his posthumous album, Djarimirri (Child Of The Rainbow), with Sampa The Great, Courtney Barnett, Hermitude, The Jezabels and more also taking out the prize in recent years.