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SXSW Sydney Music Festival Award Winners Announced
The dual winners of the Justin Cosby Music Prize as well as the inaugural winner of the Walk to Austin Award have been revealed
The SXSW Sydney Music Festival Award winners have been announced.
The third annual Justin Cosby Music Prize 2025 winners are Swapmeet (Best Emerging Artist) and 水中スピカ Suichu Spica (Best Performance).
The Justin Cosby Music Prize is named in the memory of Inertia Music co-founder Justin Cosby, who died in June 2021.
The beloved independent music executive — and fan — was a regular attendee at SXSW, and his meticulously-organised spreadsheet planner was shared widely among Australian industry making the journey to Austin each year.
The judging panel comprises industry leaders from independent record labels, community radio, venues, festivals, and local and international media.
The inaugural Justin Cosby Music Prize was awarded in 2023 to Otoboke Beaver (Best Performance) and Miss Kaninna (Best Emerging Artist). Last year’s winners were Rolling Stone House headliners Voice of Baceprot (Best Performance) and rising hip-hop star DEVAURA (Best Emerging Artist).
Formerly known as Soursob, Swapmeet are an indie rock four-piece from Adelaide who released their most recent EP, Oxalis, in 2024.
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Claire Collins, Head of Music, says, “Since we announced Swapmeet on the lineup, the band attracted a significant amount of industry interest thanks to their quality songwriting and cohesive production. Throughout the week, they backed up with buzz with a compelling show, producing gorgeous indie anthems punctuated by a punk spirit. We can’t wait to see what they do next.”
水中スピカ Suichu Spica are a Japanese math-rock band who showcased at SXSW Sydney as part of a lengthy world tour which also took them to the US.
Reg Harris, SXSW Sydney Music Festival Program Manager, says, “水中スピカ Suichu Spica’s flawless live sets throughout the week were one of the true highlights of SXSW Sydney this year; each show featuring a tight setlist filled with intricate guitar tapping, sparkling vocals, ever changing time signatures and cinematic crescendos. No matter whether playing on our largest venue’s stage or in our smallest cap room (they did both) the Kyoto four-piece sounded incredible and made instant fans of anyone who was lucky enough to watch them.”
The inaugural Walk to Austin Award went to future superstar Jamaica Moana, the standout performer on the Johnnie Walker Black Ruby House stage.
Moana was also one of the highlights of this year’s Rolling Stone House at SXSW Sydney. She brought her sleek and confident rap to our house party, armed with tracks from her long-awaited debut EP, BUD & DENI.
The Walk to Austin Award is a new initiative launched as part of SXSW Sydney’s Music Festival, in partnership with Johnnie Walker Black Ruby.
According to organisers, the award is designed to “recognise an emerging Australian music talent who shows creativity, originality, and the potential to connect with a global audience.”
Moana now has a guaranteed performance slot at SXSW 2026 in Austin, taking them from Sydney to the world stage.
“I’m gagging… THIS IS TEXAS! I’m ready to bring ‘em down down down. I’m grateful and excited to take the Jamaica Moana show across the equator to Austin! Now is the perfect time for this; we are READY!” Moana says.
Rolling Stone House at SXSW Sydney is also over for another year.
We brought a massive house party to the Lord Gladstone Hotel on October 16th, featuring some of the most exciting rising stars in Australian and New Zealand music.
“From the time doors opened at the Lord Gladstone from 4pm through to DZ Deathrays’ headline performance later in the night, the room was jammed with music lovers and fans,” said Editor-in-Chief Neil Griffiths.
“A big thank you to all of the bands who took to the stage and a massive congratulations to all involved. How good’s a house party?!”
The latest Rolling Stone House followed last year’s second edition, which featured three days of up-and-coming acts showcasing their music. Hockey Dad, The Grogans, The Buoys, Bakers Eddy, Ayesha Madon, Phoebe Rings, and 9lives were just some of the incredible acts who featured in 2024.
