The 2026 APRA Music Awards were held on Wednesday night at Sydney's Hordern Pavilion. The event marked the 100th anniversary of the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA), which was founded in 1926 and collects music royalties for artists.
Major Awards
Amyl and The Sniffers received multiple awards, including Song of the Year (peer-voted) for "Jerkin'," Songwriter of the Year, and Most Performed Rock Work for the same track.
Sia won Most Performed Australian Work Overseas for "Unstoppable." This award represented her 14th APRA prize, making her the most-awarded writer in the organization's history.
Guy Sebastian won Most Performed Australian Work and Most Performed Pop Work for "Maybe," which he co-wrote with Ned Houston and Robby De Sa.
Special Recognitions
- INXS received the Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music.
- Sarah Aarons received the International Recognition Award, her sixth APRA award.
Category Winners
- Emerging Songwriter of the Year: Emily Wurramara
- Alternative Work: "Please Don't Move to Melbourne" by Ball Park Music
- Blues & Roots Work: "Survival" by Karen Lee Andrews
- Country Work: "Who You Are" by Rachael Fahim
- Dance/Electronic Work: "Tell Me" by Sonny Fodera & Clementine Douglas
- Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Work: "RAINDROP" by Ocean Grove
- Hip Hop/Rap Work: "Spinnin'" by ONEFOUR & Nemzzz
- International Work: "Timeless" by The Weeknd & Playboi Carti
- R&B/Soul Work: "Pity Party" by PANIA
First-time winners at the event included Sonny Fodera, Ball Park Music, Pania, Karen Lee Andrews, Rachael Fahim, Ocean Grove, and OneFour.
Tributes
A tribute was paid to the late Rob Hirst, co-founder and drummer of Midnight Oil, who died in January at age 70. During the tribute, The Presets performed "Power and the Passion" with Peter Garrett.