UPDATE: The First-Ever ‘Australian Women In Music Awards’ Nominations Are Now Open
ORIGINAL STORY: The inaugural Australian Women In Music Awards (AWMA) have been announced to celebrate the vast achievements of women in the Australian music industry.
The awards, scheduled to go down in Brisbane this October, are being backed by a huge group of Australian icons including Tina Arena, Deborah Conway, The Preatures‘ Isabella Manfredi, Clare Bowditch, Jen Cloher and more.
Posthumous endorsements have also come from Aussie legends Chrissy Amphlett and Ruby Hunter with the permission of their families.
The awards won’t just recognise artists in the industry, but also those who work tirelessly behind the scenes in things like production, photography, songwriting, management and more. There will also be a strong focus on First Nations and culturally diverse performers.
Additionally, an honours roll will be established to celebrate and recognise those who have made a long-lasting contribution to the industry.
The AWMAs will be part of a broader two-day event which will include forums and keynote speeches. It will also see the Queensland premiere of the Australian music documentary Her Sound-Her Story.
The event fits in with a broader global movement exposing underrepresentation in the arts community. A study last year found women are “chronically disadvantaged” in the Australian music industry and that “male artists and voices overwhelmingly dominate”.
Isabella Manfredi has called the AWMAs “the next positive step in creating a more equal playing field for all”, adding, “What a momentous platform to shine a light on the amazing women in our industry.”
Clare Bowditch said the initiative was “deeply exciting!!”.
“An awards night to celebrate exceptional Australian Music by exceptional Australian musicians who, for reasons of history and perhaps unconscious bias or worse, have been generally overlooked? Who wouldn’t want more of that kinda good thing?!?”
The event will kick off on 9th October at Brisbane Powerhouse, and will run for two days.
You can check out more information here.
