The 2026 ARIA Awards nominees are officially here, with Genesis Owusu and Tame Impala leading the pack with eight nominations each.
Ecca Vandal follows closely behind on seven nominations, while Baker Boy, BOY SODA, G Flip, Miss Kaninna, and Ninajirachi have each received five. DMA’S, Dom Dolla, and Troye Sivan follow with four nominations each.
Owusu and Tame Impala will go head-to-head in several major categories, including Album of the Year, Best Solo Artist and Best Alternative Release, which returns to the ARIAs for the first time since 2016.
Owus’s nominations follow the release of his third album, Redstar Wu & the Worldwide Scourge, which debuted at No. 3 on the ARIA Albums Chart and topped both the Australian Albums and Vinyl Albums charts. The seven-time ARIA Award winner is also nominated for Best Independent Release, Best Australian Live Act, Best Video, Best Cover Art, and Best Produced Release.
Tame Impala’s eight nominations come off the back of Kevin Parker’s fifth studio album, Deadbeat, and its hit singles “Dracula”, which spent 18 weeks in the Top 10 of the ARIA Singles Chart, peaking at No. 4, and “End of Summer”, which won Parker a Grammy earlier this year. Alongside the major album and artist categories, Parker is nominated for Best Pop Release, Best Dance/Electronic Release, Song of the Year, Best Engineered Release, and Best Produced Release.
This year’s nominations also recognise established Australian acts including Kylie Minogue, Paul Kelly, Keith Urban, Hilltop Hoods, and Vika & Linda, alongside emerging artists such as aleksiah, Rachael Fahim, and WILSN, who are all in contention for the Michael Gudinski Breakthrough Artist award.
See all the nominees below.
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ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd said the nominations offered an opportunity to recognise Australian music’s achievements over the past four decades, while also addressing the industry’s ongoing concerns about artificial intelligence and copyright.
“We could not be more thrilled with this list of nominees to celebrate 40 years of Australian music and incredible human artistry. These records and these amazing artists represent the culmination of 40 years of Australian success in making great music that captures our unique voice and takes it global,” she said.
“As we continue to fight against the relentless assault on our copyright laws by foreign AI companies, this year’s ARIA Awards are a powerful moment to recognise the enduring power of music to give meaning to the human experience, connect Australians through our own stories and inspire us to feel truly alive. Congratulations to all the 2026 nominees.”
Fans will once again have their say across four publicly voted categories: Best Australian Live Act, Song of the Year, Best Video, and Most Popular International Artist.
Voting opens on September 24th and runs until November 9th, with fans able to cast daily votes through Spotify and the ARIA website. See here for details.
As previously announced, the 2026 ARIA Awards will take place at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion on Gadigal land on Wednesday, November 18th, with winners to be announced across 29 categories. The ceremony will be broadcast on 10 and streamed live on Paramount+.
The milestone event follows June’s standalone ARIA Hall of Fame ceremony at Carriageworks, where Gurrumul, Jenny Morris, Kate Ceberano, Spiderbait, The Living End, and Vika & Linda were inducted.
2026 ARIA Award Nominees:
Album of the Year
BOY SODA – “Soulstar”
DMA’S – “DMA’S”
Ecca Vandal – “Looking For People to Unfollow”
Genesis Owusu – “REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE”
Tame Impala – “Deadbeat”
Best Solo Artist
Baker Boy – “Djandjay”
BOY SODA – “Soulstar”
Ecca Vandal – “Looking For People to Unfollow”
G Flip – “Dream Ride”
Genesis Owusu – “REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE”
Matt Corby – “Tragic Magic”
Miss Kaninna – “BLACKPRINT”
Ninajirachi – “WannaCry”
Tame Impala – “Deadbeat”
Troye Sivan – “She’s The Best”
Best Group
5 Seconds of Summer – “Everyone’s A Star!”
DMA’S – “DMA’S”
Gang of Youths – “Things Take Time”
Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers – “Glory”
Vika & Linda – “Where Do You Come From?”
Michael Gudinski Breakthrough Artist presented by Spotify
aleksiah – “Good On Paper”
Ecca Vandal – “Looking For People to Unfollow”
Rachael Fahim – “Who You Are”
Way Dynamic – “Massive Shoe”
WILSN – “Bloom”
Best Pop Release
Blusher – “Rager”
G Flip – “Dream Ride”
Kylie Minogue – “Tension Tour//Live 2025”
Tame Impala – “Dracula”
Troye Sivan – “She’s The Best”
Best Dance/Electronic Release
Dean Turnley – “Actin’ Tough”
Dom Dolla – “Addicted to Bass”
Ninajirachi, Porter Robinson – “WannaCry”
Tame Impala – “Afterthought”
Yes Boone – “All I Really Want”
Best Hip Hop/Rap Release
Baker Boy – “Djandjay”
DEVAURA – “Vol. 2 If You Don’t Laugh, You’ll Cry”
Hilltop Hoods – “Never Coming Home”
Miss Kaninna – “BLACKPRINT”
Nerve – “Growing Pains”
Best Soul/R&B Release
Becca Hatch – “Garden (Bang Goes the Drum)”
BOY SODA – “Soulstar”
Larissa Lambert – “I Love You Out Loud”
Miss Kaninna – “BACKSTREETS”
Tkay Maidza – “Romanticize”
Best Independent Release presented by PPCA
2charm – “boyfriend”
Ecca Vandal – “Looking For People to Unfollow”
Genesis Owusu – “REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE”
Miss Kaninna – “BLACKPRINT”
Ninajirachi, Porter Robinson – “WannaCry”
Best Rock Album presented by Tooheys
Courtney Barnett – “Creature Of Habit”
DMA’S – “DMA’S”
Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers – “Glory”
The Belair Lip Bombs – “Again”
The Temper Trap – “Sungazer”
Best Alternative Release
Ecca Vandal – “Looking For People to Unfollow”
Gang of Youths – “Things Take Time”
Genesis Owusu – “REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE”
Meg Mac – “It’s My Party”
Tame Impala – “Deadbeat”
Best Adult Contemporary Album
Matt Corby – “Tragic Magic”
Paul Kelly – “Seventy”
The Paper Kites – “If You Go There, I Hope You Find It”
Vika & Linda – “Where Do You Come From?”
Way Dynamic – “Massive Shoe”
Best Country Album
Keith Urban – “Flow State”
Max Jackson – “Dangerous in Denim”
Morgan Evans – “Steel Town”
Rachael Fahim – “Who You Are”
Wade Forster – “Gooseneck Party”
Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album
Cosmic Psychos – “I Really Like Beer”
DZ Deathrays – “Easing Out Of Control”
Karnivool – “In Verses”
These New South Whales – “Godspeed”
WAAX – “Angels Mess”
Best Blues & Roots Album
Any Young Mechanic – “The Modern Shoe Is Ruining The Foot”
Emma Donovan – “Take Me To The River”
John Butler – “Prism”
William Crighton – “Colonial Drift”
Xavier Rudd – “Freedom Sessions/Where To Now”
Best Children’s Album
Bluey – “Up Here (The Orchestral Album)”
Don Spencer – “Feathers, Fur or Fins 40th Anniversary” (Don Spencer & Friends)
Emma Memma – “Jungle Picnic”
Play School – “Dance It Out”
The Wiggles – “Sparkle!: A Circus Of Lights”
Best Music Festival presented by Music Australia
Beyond The Valley 2025 – Untitled Group
CMC Rocks – CMC Rocks Pty Ltd
Groovin The Moo Lismore – Fuzzy Operations Pty Ltd
Laneway Festival – St Jerome’s Laneway Pty Ltd
Spilt Milk – Kicks Entertainment
Public Voted Awards
Best Video
“Never The Same” – BOY SODA, Adam Saunders
“Running Low ft. Pardyalone” – Baker Boy, Aurie Indianna & Jordan Ruyi Blanch
“BACKSTREETS” – Miss Kaninna, Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore
“My Baby’s Place” – DMA’S, Cole Surrey
“CRUISING TO SELF SOOTHE” – Ecca Vandal, Richie Buxton
“Stampede” – Genesis Owusu, Isaac Brown
“One More” – James Johnston, Jared Hinz
“Every Single Weekend” – The Avalanches, Jonathan Zawada
“Addicted to Bass” – Dom Dolla, Kyle Caulfield & Charles Buxton-Leslie
“Bed On Fire” – G Flip, Tas Wilson
Best Australian Live Act presented by Destination NSW
Baker Boy – Djandjay Tour
BOY SODA – Lil Obsession Tour
Dom Dolla – Dom Dolla Australian Tour 2025
G Flip – Dream Ride Tour – Australia 2026
Gang of Youths – Various
Genesis Owusu – Red Star Wu’s Pirate Radio Tour
Hilltop Hoods – Never Coming Home Tour
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Phantom Island Australian Tour
Ninajirachi – DARK CRYSTAL V
Paul Kelly – Australian Tour 2025
Song of the Year
FISHER – “Blackberries”
G Flip – “Bed On Fire”
Keli Holiday – “Dancing2”
Lithe – “Cannonball”
Ocean Alley – “Love Balloon”
Royel Otis – “car”
Sonny Fodera – “Think About Us”
Tame Impala – “Dracula”
The Kid LAROI – “A COLD PLAY”
Vance Joy – “Divine Feelings”
Most Popular International Artist
BTS – “ARIRANG”
Ed Sheeran – “Play”
Harry Styles – “Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally”
Morgan Wallen – “I’m The Problem”
Noah Kahan – “The Great Divide”
Olivia Dean – “The Art of Loving”
Olivia Rodrigo – “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love”
Sabrina Carpenter – “Man’s Best Friend”
sombr – “I Barely Know Her”
Taylor Swift – “The Life of a Showgirl”
Artisan Awards
Best Cover Art
Aurie Indianna & Sulaiman Enayatzada for Baker Boy – “Djandjay”
Connor Dewhurst for Amy Shark – “soft pop”
Ecca Vandal, Kathryn Vinella, Sean McDonald for Ecca Vandal – “Looking For People to Unfollow”
Kofi Owusu-Ansah, Isaac Brown, Gina Wagstaffe for Genesis Owusu – “REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE”
Miriam David and Pat Fox for Matt Corby – “Tragic Magic”
Engineer – Best Engineered Release
Dom Dolla for Dom Dolla – “Don’t Worry Baby”
Kevin Parker for Tame Impala – “Deadbeat”
Wave Racer for 2charm – “Star Scum City”
Styalz Fuego for Troye Sivan – “She’s The Best”
Tony Buchen for DOBBY – “MARSHMELLOW”
Producer – Best Produced Release
Dann Hume/Andrew Klippel for Genesis Owusu – “REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE”
Kevin Parker for Tame Impala – “Deadbeat”
Ninajirachi for 2charm – “Star Scum City”
Ninajirachi/Porter Robinson for Ninajirachi – “WannaCry”
Styalz Fuego for Troye Sivan – “She’s The Best”
Fine Arts Awards
Best Classical Album
Jayson Gillham – “Chopin Etudes”
Richard Tognetti, Australian Chamber Orchestra – “Beethoven & Brahms Concertos for Violin and Orchestra”
Simone Young, Sydney Symphony Orchestra – “Mahler: Symphony No. 3”
Tamara-Anna Cislowska, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Johannes Fritzsch – “Elena Kats-Chernin: Ancient Letters”
William Barton, Omega Ensemble – “Gift – Our Breath of Life”
Best Jazz Album
Donny Benét – “Il Basso”
Hilary Geddes – “Redleaf”
Lauren Tsamouras & Tom Avegenicos – “For Judy”
Ten Part Invention – “Time Is moved”
The Vampires – “Skydancer”
Best Original Soundtrack or Musical Theatre Cast Album
Ack Kinmonth – “The Pout Pout Fish” (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Amanda Brown – “Deadloch” Season 1
Brian Cachia – “Beast” (Original Motion Picture Score)
Caitlin Yeo – “Every Little Thing” (Official Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Francois Tetaz – “My Brilliant Career”
Best World Music Album
Melbourne Ska Orchestra – “Monte Loco Rides Again”
Mo’Ju, Nicholas Buc, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra – “Double J Live at the Wireless – Hamer Hall, Melbourne 2023”
Not Drowning, Waving – “Malira”
Tenzin Choegyal & Philip Glass – “Be The Sky”
The Cat Empire – “Live At Sydney Opera House”
Our Soundtrack Our Ads: Best Use of an Australian Recording in an Advertisement
Fox Sports Australia: “Finals Footy” – Fox Sports Australia, 3%, Fred Leone, Scribe
Paramount+: “All Fired Up – AFC Women’s Asian Cup” – Hello, G Flip
Tourism WA: “Walking On A Dream” – Tourism WA, Empire of the Sun, West Australian Symphony Orchestra & Billy-Jo Shoveller
Toyota: “Nice to Know it Could” – The Hero Corporation, Amyl and The Sniffers
Uber Eats: “The Man LAROI” – Special, The Kid LAROI
