2025 Screen Music Awards Are Heading to Brisbane

The 2025 Screen Music Awards are coming to the Sunshine State for the first time.

Announced today, Brisbane’s Fortitude Music Hall will host the annual celebration of excellence and innovation in screen composition, set for Tuesday, October 28th.

It’s not the first time a major APRA awards ceremony has headed to the future Olympic city. The 2014 APRA Music Awards were present at Brisbane City Hall for the first time in the event’s history.

Also today, organisers APRA AMCOS and the Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC) revealed nominations in 13 of the 16 Screen Music Awards categories.

Leading the way with three nominations each are Antony Partos, Jed Kurzel, Adam Gock, Cassie To, Dinesh Wicks and Mitch Stewart.

Close behind with two nominations each are Caitlin Yeo, Cornel Wilczek, David Bruggeman, Jackson Milas, James Mountain, Luna Pan and this year’s APRA Professional Development Award winner for Screen Composition, Samuel Marks.

The global animated kids hit Bluey is once again in the hunt. Bluey: Rug Island is nominated for best soundtrack album, composed by the multi-award winning Joff Bush and featuring co-composers including King Stingray on first single “Octopus”.

Other top-billed nominees include Christine Anu and Rhyan Clapham (aka Dobby) for Piki Lullaby (best music for children’s programming), Ziggy Ramo for Black Snow (best music for a television drama) and Megan Washington for “Dream On” from How to Make Gravy (best original song composed for the screen).

Taking hosting duties this year is celebrated actor David Wenham, who is joined by actor, writer and composer Mark Coles Smith, and guest presenter Nathalie Morris from the Logie and AACTA-nominated Bump. The music director is Erkki Veltheim.

The Distinguished Services to Australian Screen recipient, which is nominated by the APRA Board, will be announced in early October, and the winners of most performed screen composer – Australia and most performed screen composer – overseas will be revealed on the night.

See the full list of nominations below.

2025 Screen Music Award nominees:

Best Music for an Advertisement

Title                                    Feel New in Sydney        

Composed by                     Lukas Farry / Alejandro Gomez Sanchez

Title                                   HBO Max

Composed by                     Antony Partos

Published by                      Sonar Music

Title                                   Nodefest 2024

Composed by                     Scott Langley

Published by                      Smith and Western Studios

Title                                       Toyota CH-R Diamond                   

Composed by                     Lance Gurisik

Published by                      MassivePublishing

Composed by                     Dinesh Wicks*/ Adam Gock / Mitch Stewart / Cassie To / Richard LaBrooy / David Bruggemann / Samuel Marks / David Huxtable / Luna Pan / Anthony Ammar

Published by                      Cooking Vinyl Publishing*

Title                                    Piki Lullaby        

Composed by                     Christine Anu / Rhyan Clapham*

Published by                      Universal Music Publishing / Sony Music Publishing*

Title                                    Runt

Composed by                     Iain Grandage / Josh Hogan

Title                                    Spooky Files: ‘Maximum Badness’

Composed by                     Pascal Babare    

Composed by                     Dinesh Wicks / Adam Gock / Mitch Stewart / Emma Greenhill / Cassie To / Samuel Marks / Henry Bird

Title                                   Deeper

Composed by                     Antony Partos

Published by                      Sonar Music

Title                                   The Golden Spurtle

Composed by                     Simon Bruckard

Title                                    Yurlu | Country

Composed by                     Helena Czajka   

Best Music for a Short Film

Title                                    Ningaloo’s Nursery        

Composed by                     Mara Schwerdtfeger

Title                                    Oil & Water

Composed by                     Hamish Francis / James Mountain

Title                                   The Shirt Off Your Back

Composed by                     Joel Byrne / Wade Keighran

Published by                      Gaga Music

Title                                   The Way Home

Composed by                     Dale Cornelius

Published by                      Concord Music Publishing

Best Music for a Television Comedy

Title                                    Bump (Season 5 Episode 1)

Composed by                     Josie Mann / Jackson Milas

Published by                      Sonar Music

Title                                   Return to Paradise (Season 1 Episode 1)

Composed by                     Jackson Milas / Antony Partos

Published by                      Sonar Music

Title                                   Last Days of the Space Age (Episode 1)

Composed by                     Caitlin Yeo

Published by                      Universal Music Publishing

Title                                   YOLO: Rainbow Trinity (Season 3 Episode 7)

Composed by                     Brendan Caulfield            

Published by                      Universal/MCA Music Publishing 

Best Music for a Television Drama

Title                                   Black Snow (Season 2 Episode 6)

 Composed by:                Jed Palmer / Ziggy Ramo*

Published by:                     Sony Music Publishing / peermusic*

Title                                   Fake (Season 1 Episode 5)

Composed by                     Cornel Wilczek / Alex Olijnyk

Title                                   Four Years Later (Season 1 Episode 3)

Composed by                     Isha Ram Das

Title                                   Narrow Road to the Deep North (Season 1 Episode 5)

Composed by                     Jed Kurzel

Composed by                     Benjamin Speed

Title                                   Million Dollar Secret

Composed by                     Dinesh Wicks / Adam Gock / Brontë Horder / Mitch Stewart / Cassie To / David Bruggemann / Rory Chenoweth / Adam Sofo

Published by                      BMG

Title                                   Murder Down Under: Bodies in the Barrel 

Composed by                    Amara Primero / Isabella Lavenuta* / Jenna Pratt* / Melany Thompson* 

Published by                      Cooking Vinyl Publishing / Primechord Music* 

Title                                    Muster Dogs

Composed by                     Mark Walmsley

Published by                      Universal Music Publishing obo Ambience Entertainment

Composed by                     Cedar Jones       

Title                                   Pinball Spire

Composed by                     Starling Tan

Title                                   Rebel Moon: The Descent

Composed by                     David Barber

Title                                   Tempopo

Composed by                     Jeff van Dyck     

Best Opening Title Television Theme

Title                                      In Her Nature                   

Composed by                     Tammy Ari          

Title                                   Last Days of the Space Age

Composed by                     Caitlin Yeo          

Published by                      Universal Music Publishing

Title                                   Last King of the Cross (Season 2)

Composed by                     Rafael May

Published by                      Rogue Nation Publishing

Title                                   The Survivors 

Composed by                    Thomas Rouch* / Cornel Wilczek 

Published by                      Concord Music Publishing ANZ 

Best Original Song Composed for the Screen

Title                                       “Dream On” from How to Make Gravy

Composed by                     Megan Washington

Published by                      Origin Music Publishing

Title                                       “Five Walls” from NCIS: Sydney (Season 2 Episode 7)

Composed by                     Alana Wilkinson

Published by                      Kobalt Music Publishing obo Lillipilli IP

Title                                  “Warrwurnum” from Journey Home, David Gulpilil

Composed by                   David Bridie* / Yirrmal Marika

Published by                     Mushroom Music*

Title                                       “Monsters” from First Moon

Composed by                     Dominic Cabusi / Bronte Maree O’Neill

Published by                      Alba Australia Music Publishing obo Alba Blue Music Publishing

Composed by                     Joff Bush* / Theo Dimathaya Burarrwanga / Pluto Jonze / Roy Kellaway^ / Campbell Messer / Lachlan Nicholson / Steve Peach / Lewis Stiles / Yirrŋa Gotjiringu Yunupingu^

Published by                       Universal Music Publishing* / Sony Music Publishing^

Title                                   Moana 2

Composed by                     Opetaia Tavita Foa’i / Mark Mancina

Published by                      Universal Music Publishing

Title                                   The Order

Composed by                     Jed Kurzel

Published by                      Universal Music Publishing / Sony Music Publishing

Title                                   The Raftsmen

Composed by                     Finn Clarke

Composed by                     James Brown    

Title                                       How to Make Gravy      

Composed by                     Samuel Dixon

Published by                      Downtown Music Publishing

Title                                    Spit

Composed by                     Elliott Wheeler

Title                                    Tornado              

Composed by                     Jed Kurzel

Emerging Screen Composer of the Year

Ayda Akbal

Felix Wallis

James Mountain

Luna Pan

Visit apraamcos.com.au/screenmusicawards2025 for more.