Amyl And The Sniffers and Tame Impala spearhead Kevin Parker are once again in the hunt for APRA’s song of the year, the top honor at the annual APRA Music Awards. But they’ve got stiff competition from the likes of first-time shortlisters Keli Holiday and Ninajirachi, plus Paul Kelly with his nephew and first-time nominee Dan Kelly.
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The peer-voted category and many others will be presented at the centenary edition of the 2026 APRA Music Awards, set for Wednesday, April 29 at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion.
Amyl Taylor and Co. are nominated for “Jerkin’,” which is also shortlisted for most performed rock work. The punk rock outfit could go back-to-back, having won the 2025 title for “U Should Not Be Doing That,” lifted from their third album Cartoon Darkness.
Tame Impala’s Deadbeat single “Loser” is a red-hot chance, too. Should the psychedelic pop artist lift the donut-shaped trophy, the West Australian could boast a three-peat following wins in 2013 (for “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards”) and 2016 (“Let It Happen”).
Paul and Dan Kelly are nominated for “Rita Wrote A Letter”, the long-awaited follow up to “How to Make Gravy;” Keli Holiday, the solo project of Peking Duk’s Adam Hyde, is nominated alongside co-composers Alex Cameron and Konstantin Kersting, for the ARIA Award-winning hit “Dancing2”; and EDM star Ninajirachi (real name: Nina Wilson) is in the frame for “iPod Touch”, co-written with Darcy Baylis.
The APRAs this year counts 52 first-time nominees, seven of whom are up for two awards.
Nominees for emerging songwriter of the year category are ARIA Award-winning Indigenous stars BARKAA and Emily Wurramara; first-time nominees Grace Sinclair, Heide Peverelle and Jeanie Pilkington, (Folk Bitch Trio); rising pop star Nick Ward; and Ninajirachi, who cleaned up on the 2025 awards circuit.
The recipient of the prestigious Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music will be unveiled Tuesday, April 14. Winners of all categories including the international recognition award, OneMusic licensee of the year, most performed Australian work overseas and songwriter of the year will be revealed at the APRAs, which celebrate excellence in contemporary music, saluting songwriters and publishers who have achieved artistic excellence and outstanding success in their fields.
This year’s awards will be “the biggest yet,” a statement reads, with Julia Zemiro on presenting duties, alongside guest presenters Bernard Fanning, Jessica Mauboy, Mark Coles Smith and Stella Donnelly.
The ceremony is a pillar of APRA’s 100th anniversary celebrations, a year-long slate of activities which the PRO has described as the “most significant celebration of the contribution of songwriting and composition to Australia and New Zealand’s culture, identity and economy.” Those plans include the launch of a new “hall of fame-style” event in November, and a major anthology book will be published, spotlighting a century of music from these parts.
Formed by six music publishers a century ago in January, the Australasian Performing Right Association now represents over 128,000 music creators.
Check out the full list of 2026 APRA Music Awards nominations below.
Peer-Voted APRA Song of the Year
Title: Dancing2
Artist: Keli Holiday
Written by: Adam Hyde / Alex Cameron* / Konstantin Kersting^
Published by: BMG / Sony Music Publishing* / Payday Music Publishing^
Title: iPod Touch
Artist: Ninajirachi
Written by: Nina Wilson* / Darcy Baylis
Published by: Sony Music Publishing*
Title: Jerkin’
Artist: Amyl and The Sniffers
Written by: Declan Mehrtens / Amy Taylor / Bryce Wilson
Title: Loser
Artist: Tame Impala
Written by: Kevin Parker
Published by: Sony Music Publishing
Title: Rita Wrote A Letter
Artist: Paul Kelly
Written by: Paul Kelly / Dan Kelly
Published by: Sony Music Publishing
Emerging Songwriter of the Year
Writer: BARKAA
Published by: Sony Music Publishing
Writer: Emily Wurramara
Publisher: Mushroom Music Publishing
Writer: Heide Peverelle, Jeanie Pilkington & Grace Sinclair (Folk Bitch Trio)
Published by: Kobalt Music Publishing
Writer: Nick Ward
Published by: Sony Music Publishing
Writer: Nina Wilson (Ninajirachi)
Published by: Sony Music Publishing
Most Performed Australian Work
Title: Maybe
Artist: Guy Sebastian
Written by: Guy Sebastian / Robby De Sa* / Ned Houston*
Published by: Universal Music Publishing / Sony Music Publishing*
Title: Please Don’t Move to Melbourne
Artist: Ball Park Music
Written by: Sam Cromack
Published by: Sony Music Publishing
Title: stay a little longer
Artist: ROSÉ
Written by: Sarah Aarons / Andrew Wells / Chae Park*
Published by: Sony Music Publishing / Warner Chappell Music*
Title: Tell Me
Artist: Sonny Fodera & Clementine Douglas
Written by: Stuart Crichton / Sonny Fodera* / Clementine Douglas^ / Ruth Cunningham^
Published by: Concord Music Publishing ANZ / BMG* / Mushroom Music Publishing^
Title: Touch
Artist: 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
Title: All the Noise
Artist: Spacey Jane
Written by: Ashton Hardman-Le Cornu / Caleb Harper / Kieran Lama / Peppa Lane
Published by: Kobalt Music Publishing obo Dew Process
Title: car
Artist: Royel Otis
Written by: Otis Pavlovic / Royel Maddell / Omar Fedi* / Blake Slatkin*
Published by: Kobalt Music Publishing obo Ourness Songs / Universal/MCA Music Publishing*
Title: Dancing2
Artist: Keli Holiday
Written by: Adam Hyde / Alex Cameron* / Konstantin Kersting^
Published by: BMG / Sony Music Publishing* / Payday Music Publishing^
Title: Hideaway
Artist: Mallrat
Written by: Grace Shaw / Styalz Fuego* / Gab Strum^
Published by: Kobalt Music Publishing obo Dew Process / Universal Music Publishing* / Concord Music Publishing ANZ^
Title: Please Don’t Move to Melbourne
Artist: Ball Park Music
Written by: Sam Cromack
Published by: Sony Music Publishing
Most Performed Blues & Roots Work
Title: I’m Yours
Artist: Karen Lee Andrews
Written by: Karen Lee Andrews
Title: Let It Rain
Artist: Dallas Frasca
Written by: Dallas Frasca / Paul Wood
Title: Milk & Honey
Artist: Tash Sultana
Written by: Tash Sultana
Published by: Kobalt Music Publishing
Title: Straight Into The Sun
Artist: The Cruel Sea
Written by: Tex Perkins* / Daniel Atkins* / Kristyna Higgins
Published by: Universal Music Publishing*
Title: Survival
Artist: Karen Lee Andrews
Written by: Daniel March / Adam Ventoura
Most Performed Country Work
Title: BUY THAT GIRL A BEER
Artist: Casey Barnes
Written by: Casey Barnes* / Andy Skib^ / James Thow
Published by: Mushroom Music Publishing* / Warner Chappell Music^
Title: Dirty Money
Artist: Travis Collins
Written by: Travis Collins* / Jason Duke^ / Christopher Yurchuck
Published by: Universal Music Publishing* / Downtown Music^
Title: I’m A Boxer
Artist: Brad Cox
Written by: Brad Cox / Alexander Burnett*
Published by: Sony Music Publishing / Origin Music Publishing*
Title: TROUBLE
Artist: Tori Darke & Jay Santilli
Written by: Victoria Darke* / Jessica Santilli / Michael De Lorenzis^ / Michael Paynter^
Published by: Sentric Music Publishing obo Digital Music Publishing* / Mushroom Music Publishing^
Title: Who You Are
Artist: Rachael Fahim
Written by: Rachael Fahim / Shawn Mayer / Liam Quinn / Vlado Saric / Keenan Te*
Published by: Sentric Music Publishing obo Acts Music Publishing*
Most Performed Dance/Electronic Work
Title: Break My Love
Artist: RÜFÜS DU SOL
Written by: Jonathon George / James Hunt / Tyrone Lindqvist
Published by: Kobalt Music Publishing
Title: CAVE
Artist: Dom Dolla & Tove Lo
Written by: Dominic Matheson / Tove Lo*
Published by: Sony Music Publishing / Warner Chappell Music*
Title: Focus
Artist: John Summit feat. CLOVES
Written by: Kaity Dunstan / Abraham Dertner* / Frederik Geuze^ / Neil Ormandy / John Schuster+
Published by: Payday Music Publishing & Silo: Music / Kobalt Music Publishing* / Sony Music Publishing^ / Warner Chappell Music+
Title: Beautiful People
Artist: David Guetta & Sia
Written by: Sia Furler / David Guetta* / Mikkel Eriksen / Tor Hermansen / Timofey Reznikov*
Published by: Sony Music Publishing / Peermusic*
Title: Tell Me
Artist: Sonny Fodera & Clementine Douglas
Written by: Stuart Crichton / Sonny Fodera* / Clementine Douglas^ / Ruth Cunningham^
Published by: Concord Music Publishing ANZ / BMG* / Mushroom Music Publishing^
Most Performed Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Work
Title: All That I Remember
Artist: The Amity Affliction
Written by: Joel Birch* / Daniel Brown* / Joseph Longobardi / Jonathan Reeves
Published by: Concord Music Publishing ANZ*
Title: nerv
Artist: Thornhill
Written by: Jacob Charlton* / Benjamin Maida* / Ethan McCann* / Nicholas Sjogren* / Samuel Bassal
Published by: Concord Music Publishing ANZ*
Title: RAINDROP
Artist: Ocean Grove
Written by: Samuel Bassal* / Brent Hunter* / Luke Holmes
Published by: BMG*
Title: Sacred
Artist: Parkway Drive
Written by: Benjamin Gordon / Luke Kilpatrick / Jeffrey Ling / Winston McCall / Zachary Cervini* / Jordan Fish*
Published by: Kobalt Music Publishing / BMG*
Title: Tether
Artist: Make Them Suffer
Written by: Sean Harmanis / Jordan Mather / Nicholas McLernon
Published by: Sentric Music Publishing obo Cooking Vinyl Publishing
Most Performed Hip Hop / Rap Work
Title: The Gift
Artist: Hilltop Hoods feat. Marlon
Written by: Matthew Lambert (Suffa)* / Daniel Smith (MC Pressure)* / Andrew Burford / Jim Ford^
Published by: Sony Music Publishing* / Warner Chappell Music^
Title: Party On The Moon
Artist: Bliss n Eso
Written by: Max Mackinnon / Jonathan Notley / Keith Elam* / Chris Martin^
Published by: Mushroom Music Publishing / Mushroom Music Publishing & Sony Music Publishing*/ Kobalt Music Publishing & Sony Music Publishing^
Title: Spinnin’
Artist: ONEFOUR & Nemzzz
Written by: Jerone Misa* / Salec Su’a* / Hoi Tang / Nemiah Simms* / Robin Turrini
Published by: Sony Music Publishing*
Title: The Trap
Artist: Rops1
Written by: Tristan Dunphy* / Elijah Wilson
Published by: Mushroom Music Publishing*
Title: Who’s Back
Artist: Skux
Written by: Aayan Ahmed / Logan Cudarans
Most Performed Pop Work
Title: I Can Die Now
Artist: 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+
Title: Maybe
Artist: Guy Sebastian
Written by: Guy Sebastian / Robby De Sa* / Ned Houston*
Published by: Universal Music Publishing / Sony Music Publishing^
Title: Press Pause
Artist: Kita Alexander
Written by: Nikkita Wright / Annie Schindel / Kyle Shearer*
Published by: Kobalt Music Publishing / Concord Music Publishing ANZ*
Title: stay a little longer
Artist: ROSÉ
Written by: Sarah Aarons / Andrew Wells / Chae Park*
Published by: Sony Music Publishing / Warner Chappell Music*
Title: Touch
Artist: 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 R&B / Soul Work
Title: Cardio
Artist: 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#
Title: Julia
Artist: Don West
Written by: Don West* / Nathan Hawes^ / William Endicott / Zac Olsen / Jacob Parks
Published by: Kobalt Music Publishing* / Sony Music Publishing^
Title: Lil’ Obsession
Artist: BOY SODA
Written by: Brae Luafalealo* / Nikodimos Nick Millman Paleologoudias / Finbar Stuart
Published by: Sony Music Publishing*
Title: Pity Party
Artist: PANIA
Written by: Pania Hika / Jake Amy / Chelsea Warner / Sam Verghese
Title: Vetted
Artist: Lithe
Written by: Josiah Ramel* / Omid Khasrawy
Published by: Concord Music Publishing ANZ obo Boss Level*
Most Performed Rock Work
Title: Defiant
Artist: Jimmy Barnes
Written by: Jimmy Barnes* / Michael Paynter^ / Ben Rodgers
Published by: Sony Music Publishing* / Mushroom Music Publishing^
Title: Everyone Will See It
Artist: Old Mervs
Written by: Henry Carrington-Jones / Chris Collins* / David House
Published by: Sony Music Publishing*
Title: Jerkin’
Artist: Amyl and The Sniffers
Written by: Declan Mehrtens / Amy Taylor / Bryce Wilson
Title: Southerly
Artist: King Stingray
Written by: Theo Dimathaya Burarrwanga / Cameron Yimila Burarrwanga / Roy Kellaway* / Campbell Messer / Lewis Stiles / Yirrŋa Gotjiringu Yunupingu*
Published by: Sony Music Publishing*
Title: Tangerine
Artist: 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
Title: APT.
Artist: 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/MGB^ / Universal/MCA Music Publishing+ / Sony Music Publishing~
Title: DENIAL IS A RIVER
Artist: 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#
Title: Squabble Up
Artist: 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*
Title: That’s So True
Artist: Gracie Abrams
Written by: Gracie Abrams / Audrey Hobert
Published by: Universal/MCA Music Publishing
Title: Timeless
Artist: 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~
