After a stellar inaugural year in 2018, the Australian Women in Music Awards will be returning for its second year in 2019. The finalists for this year’s awards have today been announced, with the likes of NGAIIRE, Mojo Juju and Christina Anu amongst them.
Taking place on Wednesday, 9th October in Brisbane, the awards will be presented at a ceremony, concert and party.
“As well as the opportunity to celebrate tremendous talent, AWMA provides a platform for artists and music practitioners including those in regional and remote areas, to come together, to learn and empower one another,” said AWMA Founding Director and Executive Producer, Vicki Gordon.
“We received almost double the nominations this year, from every state and across all areas of diversity, reflecting the urgent need for change in the Australian music industry.”
This year’s ceremony will see 15 awards being presented across a variety of industry professions, including producing, engineering, film making, photography, songwriting, artist management, music journalism and more. A public nomination process was held to determine who would be nominated, and then the finalists were decided by a prestigious group of industry professionals and practitioners.
Performers on the night will include René Geyer, Katie Noonan, Clare Bowdith and NGAIIRE.
The AWMAs will also be hosting a two-day program at the Brisbane Powerhouse in the lead up to the ceremony on Tuesday, 8th October and Wednesday, 9th October. This program will feature a series of forums and panel discussions on topics such as gender diversity and visibility in hip-hop, the intersection of music and politics and more. Noted broadcaster, musician and writer, Eddie Ayres, will be delivering a keynote speech.
Check out the full list of finalists below.
Australian Women In Music Award Finalists 2019
Artistic Excellence Award
Christine Anu
Nai Palm
NGAIIRE
Creative Leadership Award
Claire Edwardes
Elaine Chia
Katie Noonan
Diversity In Music Award
Christine Anu
Lisa Cheney & Peggy Polias (Making Waves)
NGAIIRE
Emerging Artist Award
Alice Skye
Ella Fence
Lisa Caruso
Excellence In Classical Music Award
Caroline Almonte
Claire Edwardes
Sarah-Grace Williams
Excellence In Image Making Award
Chloe Jean
Melaine Knight
Ntombi Moyo
Filmmaker Award
Aimée-Lee Xu Hsien Curran
Tashi Hall
Humanitarian Award
Alison Hams
Dami Im
Lindy Morrison, OAM
Lifetime Achievement Award
Joy McKean, OAM
Marcia Hines, AM
Vika and Linda Bull
Live Production Award
Jenny Moon
Kait Hall
Laurie May
Music Journalist Award
Ange McCormack
Jane Gazzo
Jules LeFevre
Elise Reitze-Swensen
Lynette Irwin
Sue Telfer
Music Photographer Award
Jessica Vaini
Kerrie Geier
Tashi Hall
Songwriter Award
Mojo Juju
NGAIIRE
Thelma Plum
Studio Production Award
Elise Reitze-Swensen (Feels)
Kathy Naunton
Virginia Read