The 40th anniversary of the ARIA Awards is set to be a night to remember, as the 2026 ARIA Awards in partnership with Spotify brings together a group of nominees that celebrate artists across four decades in Australian music alongside today’s biggest stars and the most exciting faces of the future. Leading the field are Genesis Owusu and Tame Impala, who each have landed eight nominations, recognising two artists whose creative ambition and international influence continue to elevate Australian music on the global stage. Their nominations underscore a year where Australian artists have not only dominated at home but continued to shape conversations across international festivals, charts and audiences worldwide.
Best Alternative Release returns for the first time since 2016, recognising singles and albums within one of Australia’s most distinctive musical communities. The nominees include Ecca Vandal’s Looking For People To Unfollow, Gang Of Youths with Things Take Time, Genesis Owusu for REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE, Mec Mag’s It’s My Party and Tame Impla with Deadbeat.
ARIA’s publicly voted Awards will again be integrated into Spotify, enabling fans to cast daily votes for their favourite artists directly within the app across four publicly decided categories: Best Australian Live Act presented by Destination NSW, Song of the Year, Best Video, and Most Popular International Artist. Public voting runs from 24 September to 9 November and is open across Spotify and the ARIA website. With over half of Australia using the platform, the partnership with Spotify continues to be a game-changer for nominated artists.
The 40th year celebrations kicked off earlier this year with a spectacular ARIA Hall of Fame Special Event at Sydney’s Carriageworks in June, honouring six legendary Australian acts who were inducted into the Hall of Fame: Gurrumul, Jenny Morris, Kate Ceberano, Spiderbait, The Living End and Vika & Linda.
Winners of this year’s ARIA Awards will be crowned on Wednesday, 18 November at the iconic Hordern Pavilion on Gadigal land during the 40th Year Anniversary show. Artists will be celebrated across 29 categories.
