Rules & Guidelines

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  1. All Categories
    1. Submissions for awards nominations will only be accepted through the online nomination form, located at https://artmusicawards.com.au
    2. Any nominees using Indigenous content (such as language, titles, narratives or themes) from outside their own cultural heritage must supply supporting documentation that they have consulted with the appropriate communities and have obtained their permissions to use their cultural content and intellectual property.
    3. Nominations will be deemed ineligible if they are not accompanied by appropriate documentation.
    4. The nominee (or the copyright owner of the entry if different from the nominee) shall permit APRA AMCOS, and any person APRA AMCOS authorises, to perform the entry in and as part of the Art Music Awards ceremony if deemed appropriate, and to record it for those purposes and for the purposes of communication to the public or promotional use.
    5. The nominee agrees to allow APRA AMCOS’ use of audio and video in relation to the nomination package for the Art Music Awards for promotional purposes.
    6. APRA AMCOS and the Australian Music Centre reserve the right not to make an Award in any single or collective category, or defer the category to the following year, should six or fewer eligible nominations be received.
    7. Self-nominations are not permitted. Self-nomination also includes nomination of people or organisations you work for, represent, or who work for you.
    8. Unless otherwise noted, all categories of the Art Music Awards are open to all genres and practices of art music, including but not limited to; contemporary classical, contemporary jazz, notated composition, improvised music, digital music, sound art, and experimental practice.
  2. Work of the Year Categories
    1. A work is defined as a single complete musical composition, or expression. This includes music with movements or sub-works (i.e. song cycles), installations, and real-time compositions (improvised music).
    2. The work must have been composed by an Australian citizen or by a composer who has permanent residence in Australia.
    3. The work must have been made publicly available for the first time (i.e. by live or digital performance, video/audio broadcast, or commercial release) within the year prior to the Award (2023).
    4. A work may only be submitted in a single Work of the Year category. If a work is eligible for multiple categories, the nominee may select which category to submit under.
    5. Self-nomination by composers in the Work of the Year categories is not permitted.
  3. Performance of the Year Categories
    1. The performance must have taken place publicly in the year prior to that of the Award (2023).
    2. The performance may have taken place anywhere in the world.
    3. The work must have been composed by an Australian citizen or by a composer with permanent residence in Australia.
    4. There is no requirement on a year of composition or completion (heritage works are eligible).
    5. . Public broadcast of a live studio or concert performance in the same year is eligible as a public performance. (This includes radio broadcasts, live streams, podcasts, and other digital distribution of a live recording).
    6. Nominations of performances of non-score-based works are also encouraged.
    7. Self-nomination by the performer in Performance of the Year categories is not permitted.
  4. Excellence Categories
    1. Awards for Excellence can be awarded for a range of activities that champion Australian repertoire, including specific projects, activities, recordings or recording projects, or events undertaken by the individual or organisation.
    2. Awards are made for activities which took place in the year prior to the award (2023). Nominations for sustained contribution should be made in the Luminary Award categories instead.
    3. In all Excellence Categories, the winner in the previous year is not eligible to be nominated in the following year.
    4. Nominations for organisations in the Awards for Excellence should demonstrate excellence above and beyond the standard remit or mission of that organisation. Nominations for individuals should demonstrate a program of activities or a range of projects rather than (for example) the recording and release of a single album.
    5. In the category for the Award for Excellence in a Regional Area, judging will prioritise those individuals or organisations located in regional areas, however the judging panel may also choose to consider exceptional activities by metropolitan-based organisations or individuals working in regional areas. The panel will also include assessment of the impact of the nomination in the location(s) of the activity.
    6. Nominations in the Award for Excellence in Experimental Practice must provide a rationale that demonstrates how the nomination questions or extends standard practice.
    7. Nominations for Awards for Music Education are for pedagogical, creative or professional development activities that champion Australian repertoire.
    8. Self-nomination in Excellence categories is not permitted.
  5. Luminary Awards
    1. The Luminary Awards seek to honour individuals or organisations who, through sustained contribution (demonstrated during the period 3-5 years prior), have impacted our community on a national, or state level.
    2. Nominations for Luminary Awards are made for activities which took place during five years prior to the award (2019-2023).
    3. Winners of Luminary Awards are not eligible to be nominated in their category for three years following their award.
    4. A nominee may be nominated for both a National Luminary and a single State Luminary Award. In the case of multiple State nominations, the nominee will be asked to select which state they would like to submit in (based on their geographic location during the period in question).
    5. Only the recipients of the Luminary Awards will be announced; there are no finalists for these categories.
    6. Self-nomination in Luminary Awards is not permitted.
  6. Richard Gill Award for Distinguished Services to Australian MusicPresented at the discretion of the Board of Publisher and Writer Directors of APRA, the Richard Gill Award for Distinguished Services to Australian Music seek to honour an individual, group, or organisation who through sustained contribution over a number of years, have impacted our community on a national scale through visionary leadership, fearless trailblazing, high-level artistic practice, and championing of Australian repertoire.