Nominees announced for the 2026 APRA Music Awards
Clockwise from top left: Emily Wurramara (credit: Tony Mott), BARKAA, Kita Alexander, Mallrat, Folk Bitch Trio, Ninajirachi, Gracie Abrams, PANIA, Sarah Aarons
Published: 31 March 2026
The nominees for the centenary edition of the 2026 APRA Music Awards have been announced, with Ninajirachi, Amy Taylor and Sarah Aarons leading the nominations for female artists.
The APRA Awards celebrate excellence in contemporary music and unlike many other big name music awards, the focus is on songwriters and publishers who have achieved artistic excellence and outstanding success in their fields, and not necessarily the artists who perform the songs.
18 awards will be presented at the ceremony on 29 April, divided into three distinct selection processes: Board Selected, Most Performed (based on statistical analysis) and Peer Voted.
After receiving eight nominations at last year’s ARIA Music Awards, Ninajirachi continues her dominance of Australian award ceremonies with two APRA Music Awards nominations, for Song of the Year (‘iPod Touch’) and Emerging Songwriter.
Amy Taylor, of Amyl and the Sniffers, also scores two nominations for the rock band’s playful track ‘Jerkin’, in the Song of the Year and Most Performed Rock Work categories.
Other prominent nominees include Kita Alexander for Most Performed Pop Work (‘Press Pause’), PANIA for Most Performed R&B / Soul Work (‘Pity Party’), Mallrat for Most Performed Alternative Work (‘Hideaway’) and Gracie Abrams, ROSÉ and Doechii in the Most Performed International Work category.
Internationally acclaimed Australian songwriter Sarah Aarons also receives two nominations for her work creating the ROSÉ song ‘stay a little longer’.
In an encouraging sign of the future of songwriting in Australia, four of the five nominees in the Emerging Songwriter of the Year category are women, with BARKAA, Emily Wurramara, Folk Bitch Trio and Ninajirachi all receiving nominations.
The 2026 APRA Music Awards will be held on 29 April at the Hordern Pavilion, hosted by Julia Zamiro, with guest presenters Bernard Fanning, Jessica Mauboy, Mark Coles Smith and Stella Donnelly. The awards come in APRA 100th anniversary year,. with the organisation formed in 1926 to ensure the creators of music were properly paid as radio began to bring music to millions of people around the world for the first time.
The full list of nominees is below, and for more information visit apraamcos.com.au/apramusicawards2026.
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Peer‑Voted APRA Song of the Year
Dancing2
Artist: Keli Holiday
Written by: Adam Hyde / Alex Cameron / Konstantin Kersting
Published by: BMG / Sony Music Publishing / Payday Music Publishing
iPod Touch
Artist: Ninajirachi
Written by: Nina Wilson / Darcy Baylis
Published by: Sony Music Publishing
Jerkin’
Artist: Amyl and The Sniffers
Written by: Declan Mehrtens / Amy Taylor / Bryce Wilson
Loser
Artist: Tame Impala
Written by: Kevin Parker
Published by: Sony Music Publishing
Rita Wrote A Letter
Artist: Paul Kelly
Written by: Paul Kelly / Dan Kelly
Published by: Sony Music Publishing
Emerging Songwriter of the Year
BARKAA — Sony Music Publishing
Emily Wurramara — Mushroom Music Publishing
Folk Bitch Trio (Heide Peverelle, Jeanie Pilkington, Grace Sinclair) — Kobalt Music Publishing
Nick Ward — Sony Music Publishing
Nina Wilson (Ninajirachi) — Sony Music Publishing
Most Performed Australian Work
Maybe – Guy Sebastian
Written by: Guy Sebastian / Robby De Sa / Ned Houston
Published by: Universal Music Publishing / Sony Music Publishing
Please Don’t Move to Melbourne – Ball Park Music
Written by: Sam Cromack
Published by: Sony Music Publishing
stay a little longer – ROSÉ
Written by: Sarah Aarons / Andrew Wells / Chae Park
Published by: Sony Music Publishing / Warner Chappell Music
Tell Me – Sonny Fodera & Clementine Douglas
Written by: Stuart Crichton / Sonny Fodera / Clementine Douglas / Ruth Cunningham
Published by: Concord Music Publishing ANZ / BMG / Mushroom Music Publishing
Touch – KATSEYE
Written by: Taka Perry / Jessica Porfiri / Caroline Ailin / Omer Fedi / Magnus Hoiberg / Blake Slatkin
Published by: Concord Music Publishing ANZ / Gaga Music / Sony Music Publishing / Universal/MCA Music Publishing / Warner Chappell Music
Most Performed Alternative Work
All the Noise – Spacey Jane
Written by: Ashton Hardman-Le Cornu / Caleb Harper / Kieran Lama / Peppa Lane
Published by: Kobalt Music Publishing
car – Royel Otis
Written by: Otis Pavlovic / Royel Maddell / Omar Fedi / Blake Slatkin
Published by: Kobalt Music Publishing / Universal/MCA Music Publishing
Dancing2 – Keli Holiday
(See details above)
Hideaway – Mallrat
Written by: Grace Shaw / Styalz Fuego / Gab Strum
Published by: Kobalt Music Publishing / Universal Music Publishing / Concord Music Publishing ANZ
Please Don’t Move to Melbourne – Ball Park Music
(See details above)
Most Performed Blues & Roots Work
I’m Yours – Karen Lee Andrews
Written by: Karen Lee Andrews
Let It Rain – Dallas Frasca
Written by: Dallas Frasca / Paul Wood
Milk & Honey – Tash Sultana
Written by: Tash Sultana
Published by: Kobalt Music Publishing
Straight Into The Sun – The Cruel Sea
Written by: Tex Perkins / Daniel Atkins / Kristyna Higgins
Published by: Universal Music Publishing
Survival – Karen Lee Andrews
Written by: Daniel March / Adam Ventoura
Most Performed Country Work
BUY THAT GIRL A BEER – Casey Barnes
Written by: Casey Barnes / Andy Skib / James Thow
Published by: Mushroom Music Publishing / Warner Chappell Music
Dirty Money – Travis Collins
Written by: Travis Collins / Jason Duke / Christopher Yurchuck
Published by: Universal Music Publishing / Downtown Music
I’m A Boxer – Brad Cox
Written by: Brad Cox / Alexander Burnett
Published by: Sony Music Publishing / Origin Music Publishing
TROUBLE – Tori Darke & Jay Santilli
Written by: Victoria Darke / Jessica Santilli / Michael De Lorenzis / Michael Paynter
Published by: Sentric Music Publishing / Mushroom Music Publishing
Who You Are – Rachael Fahim
Written by: Rachael Fahim / Shawn Mayer / Liam Quinn / Vlado Saric / Keenan Te
Published by: Sentric Music Publishing
Most Performed Dance/Electronic Work
Break My Love – RÜFÜS DU SOL
Written by: Jonathon George / James Hunt / Tyrone Lindqvist
Published by: Kobalt Music Publishing
CAVE – Dom Dolla & Tove Lo
Written by: Dominic Matheson / Tove Lo
Published by: Sony Music Publishing / Warner Chappell Music
Focus – John Summit feat. CLOVES
Written by: Kaity Dunstan / Abraham Dertner / Frederik Geuze / Neil Ormandy / John Schuster
Published by: Payday Music Publishing / Kobalt Music Publishing / Sony Music Publishing / Warner Chappell Music
Beautiful People – David Guetta & Sia
Written by: Sia Furler / David Guetta / Mikkel Eriksen / Tor Hermansen / Timofey Reznikov
Published by: Sony Music Publishing / Peermusic
Tell Me – Sonny Fodera & Clementine Douglas
(See details above)
Most Performed Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Work
All That I Remember – The Amity Affliction
Written by: Joel Birch / Daniel Brown / Joseph Longobardi / Jonathan Reeves
Published by: Concord Music Publishing ANZ
nerv – Thornhill
Written by: Jacob Charlton / Benjamin Maida / Ethan McCann / Nicholas Sjogren / Samuel Bassal
Published by: Concord Music Publishing ANZ
RAINDROP – Ocean Grove
Written by: Samuel Bassal / Brent Hunter / Luke Holmes
Published by: BMG
Sacred – Parkway Drive
Written by: Benjamin Gordon / Luke Kilpatrick / Jeffrey Ling / Winston McCall / Zachary Cervini / Jordan Fish
Published by: Kobalt Music Publishing / BMG
Tether – Make Them Suffer
Written by: Sean Harmanis / Jordan Mather / Nicholas McLernon
Published by: Sentric Music Publishing
Most Performed Hip Hop / Rap Work
The Gift – Hilltop Hoods feat. Marlon
Written by: Matthew Lambert / Daniel Smith / Andrew Burford / Jim Ford
Published by: Sony Music Publishing / Warner Chappell Music
Party On The Moon – Bliss n Eso
Written by: Max Mackinnon / Jonathan Notley / Keith Elam / Chris Martin
Published by: Mushroom Music Publishing / Sony Music Publishing / Kobalt Music Publishing
Spinnin’ – ONEFOUR & Nemzzz
Written by: Jerome Misa / Salec Su’a / Hoi Tang / Nemiah Simms / Robin Turrini
Published by: Sony Music Publishing
The Trap – Rops1
Written by: Tristan Dunphy / Elijah Wilson
Published by: Mushroom Music Publishing
Who’s Back – Skux
Written by: Aayan Ahmed / Logan Cudarans
Most Performed Pop Work
I Can Die Now – Ruel
Written by: Ruel Van Dijk / Julian Bunetta / Joshua Coleman / Edward Drewett / Jacob Hindlin / Steven Schick
Published by: Universal Music Publishing / Sony Music Publishing / Kobalt Music Publishing / Warner Chappell Music
Maybe – Guy Sebastian
(See details above)
Press Pause – Kita Alexander
Written by: Nikkita Wright / Annie Schindel / Kyle Shearer
Published by: Kobalt Music Publishing / Concord Music Publishing ANZ
stay a little longer – ROSÉ
(See details above)
Touch – KATSEYE
(See details above)
Most Performed R&B / Soul Work
Cardio – Larissa Lambert
Written by: Larissa Lambert / Khaled Rohaim / John Jackson / Cynthia Loving / Avital Margulies / Andre Robertson / Justin Smith / Chelsea Unger
Published by: Universal/MCA Music Publishing / Sony Music Publishing / Mushroom Music Publishing / Kobalt Music Publishing
Julia – Don West
Written by: Don West / Nathan Hawes / William Endicott / Zac Olsen / Jacob Parks
Published by: Kobalt Music Publishing / Sony Music Publishing
Lil’ Obsession – BOY SODA
Written by: Brae Luafalealo / Nikodimos Nick Millman Paleologoudias / Finbar Stuart
Published by: Sony Music Publishing
Pity Party – PANIA
Written by: Pania Hika / Jake Amy / Chelsea Warner / Sam Verghese
Vetted – Lithe
Written by: Josiah Ramel / Omid Khasrawy
Published by: Concord Music Publishing ANZ
Most Performed Rock Work
Defiant – Jimmy Barnes
Written by: Jimmy Barnes / Michael Paynter / Ben Rodgers
Published by: Sony Music Publishing / Mushroom Music Publishing
Everyone Will See It – Old Mervs
Written by: Henry Carrington-Jones / Chris Collins / David House
Published by: Sony Music Publishing
Jerkin’ – Amyl and The Sniffers
(See details above)
Southerly – King Stingray
Written by: Theo Dimathaya Burarrwanga / Cameron Yimila Burarrwanga / Roy Kellaway / Campbell Messer / Lewis Stiles / Yirrŋa Gotjiringu Yunupingu
Published by: Sony Music Publishing
Tangerine – Ocean Alley
Written by: Nic Blom / Baden Donegal / Lach Galbraith / Mitch Galbraith / Angus Goodwin / Tom O'Brien
Published by: Warner Chappell Music
Most Performed International Work
APT. – Bruno Mars and ROSÉ
Written by: Bruno Mars / Amy Allen / Christopher Brown / Roget Chahayed / Michael Chapman / Nicholas Chinn / Omer Fedi / Philip Lawrence / Chae Park / Theron Thomas / Henry Walter
Published by: Warner Chappell Music / Kobalt Music Publishing / Universal Music Publishing / Universal/MCA Music Publishing / Sony Music Publishing
DENIAL IS A RIVER – Doechii
Written by: Doechii / James Anderson / Dante Franklin / Spencer Golanka / Serban Sirbu / Joseph Thompson
Published by: Universal/MCA Music Publishing / Sony Music Publishing / Kobalt Music Publishing / Payday Music Publishing / Jungle Habitat Music
Squabble Up – Kendrick Lamar
Written by: Kendrick Lamar / Ruchaun Akers Jr / Jack Antonoff / Matthew Bernard / Tony Butler / Mark Spears
Published by: Universal/MCA Music Publishing / Sony Music Publishing
That’s So True – Gracie Abrams
Written by: Gracie Abrams / Audrey Hobert
Published by: Universal/MCA Music Publishing
Timeless – The Weeknd & Playboi Carti
Written by: Abel Tesfaye / Jordan Carter / Raul Cubina / Mike Dean / Evan Hood / Jarrod Morgan / Chisolm Petty / Tariq Sharrieff / Mark Williams / Pharrell Williams
Published by: Universal/MCA Music Publishing / Sony Music Publishing / Kobalt Music Publishing / Warner Chappell Music
