Song of the Year shortlist brings Amyl and The Sniffers, Paul Kelly, Kevin Parker and Ninajirachi into the same centenary spotlight
The APRA Music Awards are turning 100 in 2026, and they’re marking the occasion with a stacked snapshot of Australian songwriting right now – from punk and bedroom pop to slacker rock.
The Peer-Voted Song of the Year top five has been revealed ahead of the ceremony at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion on Wednesday 29 April, with nominees spanning some of the country’s most recognisable names alongside a wave of newer voices.
Peer-Voted APRA Song of the Year
Dancing2 — Keli Holiday
iPod Touch — Ninajirachi
Jerkin’ — Amyl and The Sniffers
Loser — Tame Impala
Rita Wrote A Letter — Paul Kelly
Emerging Songwriter of the Year
BARKAA
Emily Wurramara
Heide Peverelle, Jeanie Pilkington & Grace Sinclair (Folk Bitch Trio)
Nick Ward
Nina Wilson (Ninajirachi)
Most Performed Australian Work
Maybe — Guy Sebastian
Please Don’t Move to Melbourne — Ball Park Music
stay a little longer — ROSÉ
Tell Me — Sonny Fodera & Clementine Douglas
Touch — KATSEYE
Most Performed Alternative Work
All the Noise — Spacey Jane
car — Royel Otis
Dancing2 — Keli Holiday
Hideaway — Mallrat
Please Don’t Move to Melbourne — Ball Park Music
Most Performed Blues & Roots Work
I’m Yours — Karen Lee Andrews
Let It Rain — Dallas Frasca
Milk & Honey — Tash Sultana
Straight Into The Sun — The Cruel Sea
Survival — Karen Lee Andrews
Most Performed Country Work
BUY THAT GIRL A BEER — Casey Barnes
Dirty Money — Travis Collins
I’m A Boxer — Brad Cox
TROUBLE — Tori Darke & Jay Santilli
Who You Are — Rachael Fahim
Most Performed Dance/Electronic Work
Break My Love — RÜFÜS DU SOL
CAVE — Dom Dolla & Tove Lo
Focus — John Summit feat. CLOVES
Beautiful People — David Guetta & Sia
Tell Me — Sonny Fodera & Clementine Douglas
Most Performed Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Work
All That I Remember — The Amity Affliction
nerv — Thornhill
RAINDROP — Ocean Grove
Sacred — Parkway Drive
Tether — Make Them Suffer
Most Performed Hip Hop / Rap Work
The Gift — Hilltop Hoods feat. Marlon
Party On The Moon — Bliss n Eso
Spinnin’ — ONEFOUR & Nemzzz
The Trap — Rops1
Who’s Back — Skux
Most Performed Pop Work
I Can Die Now — Ruel
Maybe — Guy Sebastian
Press Pause — Kita Alexander
stay a little longer — ROSÉ
Touch — KATSEYE
Most Performed R&B / Soul Work
Cardio — Larissa Lambert
Julia — Don West
Lil’ Obsession — BOY SODA
Pity Party — PANIA
Vetted — Lithe
Most Performed Rock Work
Defiant — Jimmy Barnes
Everyone Will See It — Old Mervs
Jerkin’ — Amyl and The Sniffers
Southerly — King Stingray
Tangerine — Ocean Alley
Most Performed International Work
APT. — Bruno Mars & ROSÉ
DENIAL IS A RIVER — Doechii
Squabble Up — Kendrick Lamar
That’s So True — Gracie Abrams
Timeless — The Weeknd & Playboi Carti
APRA says this year’s awards include 52 first-time nominees, with several artists picking up multiple nods across categories — a reflection, they say, of how fluid genre lines have become in Australian music.
The ceremony will be hosted by Julia Zemiro, with guest presenters including Bernard Fanning, Jessica Mauboy, Mark Coles Smith and Stella Donnelly, and music direction from François Tétaz.
Head here for the full list.
