Winners Announced for 2025 Australian Women in Music Awards

The 2025 Australian Women in Music Awards (AWMA) winners were announced at a star-studded ceremony on Brisbane last night (October 9th).

Co-hosted by broadcaster and author Yumi Stynes and rising operatic soprano Kina Kobe at the Fortitude Music Hall, the night featured over 450 industry and community leaders, artists, and dignitaries, as well as performances by Aylish Ryan, Babyshakes Dillon, ixaras, Kate Miller-Heidke, Missy Higgins, Sarah McLeod, Arrkula Yinbayarra (Together We Sing) with Dr Shellie Morris AO, and Donna Simpson and Vikki Thorn of the Waifs.

A total of 21 awards were bestowed, with Dr Shellie Morris AO leading the way with three wins, including the Universal Music Australia Lifetime Achievement Award.

The late Ruby Hunter was posthumously inducted into the 2025 AWMA honour roll, while the inaugural recipients of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Legacy Award went to Arrkula Yinbayarra and Dr Shellie Morris AO.

Founding Executive Producer and Program Director Vicki Gordon said: “With the ever-building community who gather at our events, Australian Women in Music continues to be a powerful cultural platform to ensure gender equality is at the centre of every aspect of the Australian music industry. We pay tribute to the many among us and those who have gone before us, who have fought for safety, for opportunity, for creative excellence, and the freedom to express the deepest truths of ourselves.”

For more information, visit womeninmusicawards.com.au.

2025 Australian Women in Music Awards Winners

Milestone Creative Australia Filmmaker Awards – Emily Dynes

Hotel X Music Photographer Award – Suzanne Phoenix

Brisbane City Council Music Journalist Award – Jules LeFevre

Tina Arena Special Impact Award – Kylie Thompson

Excellence on Classical Music Award – Catherine Milliken

SSI Diversity in Music Award – Grace Chia

Oztix Women in Heavy Music Award – Monica Strut

Collarts Creative Leadership Award – Kimberley Galceran

APRA AMCOS Songwriter Award – Missy Higgins

City of Gold Coast Emerging Artist Award – Katia Geha

Opera Impact Award – Nicole Car

Creative Technical Solutions Live Creative Production Award – Kate Berry

Australian Women in Music Studio Production Award – Tahlia-Rose Coleman

The Fortitude Music Hall Live Production Touring Award – Letisha Ackland

Sony Music Australia Artistic Excellence Award – Dr Shellie Morris AO

Ethical Engagement Consultancy Humanitarian Award – Tina Broad

ARIA Executive Leader Award – Nicole Richards

ALH Hotels Music Leadership Award – Fiona Duncan

Australian Women in Music Inspiration Award – Donna Simpson & Vikki Thorn of the Waifs

Universal Music Australia Lifetime Achievement Award – Dr Shellie Morris AO

Inaugural Australian Women in Music Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Legacy Award – Arrkula Yinbayarra (Together We Sing) with Dr Shellie Morris AO

2025 Honour Roll Inductee (Posthumous) – Ruby Hunter