SoundMerch Australian Music Prize Celebrates 21 Years

Judging has commenced for the 21st SoundMerch Australian Music Prize (The AMP). The Avalanches, Genesis Owusu, Courtney Barnett, Hermitude and The Jezabels are just some of the past winners of Australia's most prestigious prize for contemporary music. As round 1 commences with the initial judging process, albums are nominated and continually added to the list until whittled down to a final 9. The winner will be announced on November 6 and awarded the $50,000 prize, courtesy of The AMP's principal partner, Soundmerch.

“21 already – it seems like just a couple of years ago I was on stage announcing our inaugural winners, The Drones! Members of The Drones are in fact nominated 21 years later as members of Tropical Fuck Storm. Also of interest, Mick Turner gains legendary status – as a member of The Dirty Three he was Shortlisted for the last prize; he's now a judge; he's a member of Mess Esque and Bleak Squad – both of which have albums nominated to win this 21st prize.” - Scott B Murphy, Founder/Prize Director

Launched in 2005, The AMP celebrates a milestone of existing to discover, reward and promote new Australian music of excellence. The inaugural album and artist to win was 'Wait Long By the River and the Bodies of Your Enemies Will Float By' by The Drones. Since then, the competition has included household names amongst nominees and winners, including Troye Sivan and Amyl and the Sniffers to name two.

The AMP works via a 3 Stage judging system with a panel of established musicians, music retailers and music media listening to every eligible album. Each judge must agree to listen to randomly assigned albums, in full, at least once before filing a judgment. They must also agree to notify AMP administration of any personal and/or business connections to the artists who have eligible albums. In stage 2, the panel of judges listens to the nominated albums and works with the Prize Director to determine which albums will form the Shortlist (9 albums). Finally, in stage 3, the panel of judges meet, face-to-face, to decide on one winner. 

Each year, hundreds of albums and artists are nominated before being whittled down to a final few and the ultimate winner. Whilst the cash prize is a bonus for artists, most agree it is the long-term coverage and support for their career that is most valuable. 

The AMP is generously supported by sponsorship from industry businesses to cover running costs and the prize money. Sponsors include JB Hifi, Mushroom Music, EMI and Sony. For the 5th consecutive year, leading music merchandise company, Soundmerch has been the principal sponsor of the prize and pays the winning artist the $50,000 cash prize.

For the second year, the AMP has been assisted by the Australian Government through Music Australia. This strategic investment supports The AMP's efforts in platforming new Australian music to growing audiences.

The prize is widely recognised as the most prestigious award for Australian recording artists and was inspired by the UK's coveted Mercury Prize. It has quickly become Australia's most coveted accolade in the music community. The winner will be announced at The 21st SoundMerch AMP event to be held on Thursday November 6th, 2025.

The 21st SoundMerch AMP Awards is in partnership with SoundMerch and supported by the Australian Government through Music Australia.