The Australian screen composing community will turn its attention to Brisbane this October when the 2025 Screen Music Awards arrive at the Fortitude Music Hall for the very first time.
APRA AMCOS and the Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC) have unveiled the nominees across 13 major categories, shining a spotlight on the composers who bring stories to life across film, television, documentary, advertising, gaming, and beyond.
Set for Tuesday 28 October, the Screen Music Awards will celebrate excellence across 16 categories, with winners announced in short film, TV drama, comedy, children’s programming, documentary, advertising, and interactive media.
The ceremony will be hosted by David Wenham AM, joined by Mark Coles Smith and Nathalie Morris (Bump). Music Director Erkki Veltheim returns to lead a live orchestra performing selections from the nominated works.
Leading the Nominations
Six names dominate this year’s shortlist, each landing three nominations:
Antony Partos (HBO Max, Deeper, Return to Paradise with Jackson Milas).
Jed Kurzel (Narrow Road to the Deep North, The Order, Tornado). Kurzel has already claimed the Feature Film Score of the Year three times.
Adam Gock, Cassie To, Dinesh Wicks and Mitch Stewart, with joint nods for LEGO Monkie Kid: Harbinger, A Portrait of a Postman and Million Dollar Secret.
Close contenders with two nominations each include Caitlin Yeo, Cornel Wilczek, David Bruggeman, Jackson Milas, James Mountain, Luna Pan and APRA Professional Development Award winner Samuel Marks.
Household favourite Bluey continues its winning streak with a nomination for Best Soundtrack Album for Bluey: Rug Island. The soundtrack features work by Joff Bush, King Stingray, Lachlan Nicholson and Steven Peach.
The Emerging Screen Composer of the Year category is stacked with fresh talent, with Ayda Akbal, James Mountain, Luna Pan and first-time nominee Felix Wallis in contention.
The night will also reveal the Most Performed Screen Composer – Australia and Most Performed Screen Composer – Overseas, recognising the artists with the broadest global reach. The prestigious Distinguished Services to Australian Screen award, nominated by the APRA Board, will be announced in early October.
2025 SCREEN MUSIC AWARD NOMINEES
Best Music for an Advertisement
Feel New in Sydney – Lukas Farry / Alejandro Gomez Sanchez
HBO Max – Antony Partos (Sonar Music)
Nodefest 2024 – Scott Langley (Smith and Western Studios)
Toyota CH-R Diamond – Lance Gurisik (Massive Publishing)
Best Music for Children’s Programming
LEGO Monkie Kid: Harbinger – Dinesh Wicks, Adam Gock, Mitch Stewart, Cassie To, Richard LaBrooy, David Bruggemann, Samuel Marks, David Huxtable, Luna Pan, Anthony Ammar (Cooking Vinyl Publishing)
Piki Lullaby – Christine Anu, Rhyan Clapham (Universal Music Publishing / Sony Music Publishing)
Runt – Iain Grandage, Josh Hogan
Spooky Files: Maximum Badness – Pascal Babare
Best Music for a Documentary
A Portrait of a Postman – Dinesh Wicks, Adam Gock, Mitch Stewart, Emma Greenhill, Cassie To, Samuel Marks, Henry Bird
Deeper – Antony Partos (Sonar Music)
The Golden Spurtle – Simon Bruckard
Yurlu | Country – Helena Czajka
Best Music for a Short Film
Ningaloo’s Nursery – Mara Schwerdtfeger
Oil & Water – Hamish Francis, James Mountain
The Shirt Off Your Back – Joel Byrne, Wade Keighran (Gaga Music)
The Way Home – Dale Cornelius (Concord Music Publishing)
Best Music for a Television Comedy
Bump (Season 5 Episode 1) – Josie Mann, Jackson Milas (Sonar Music)
Return to Paradise (Season 1 Episode 1) – Jackson Milas, Antony Partos (Sonar Music)
Last Days of the Space Age (Episode 1) – Caitlin Yeo (Universal Music Publishing)
YOLO: Rainbow Trinity (Season 3 Episode 7) – Brendan Caulfield (Universal/MCA Music Publishing)
Best Music for a Television Drama
Black Snow (Season 2 Episode 6) – Jed Palmer, Ziggy Ramo (Sony Music Publishing / peermusic)
Fake (Season 1 Episode 5) – Cornel Wilczek, Alex Olijnyk
Four Years Later (Season 1 Episode 3) – Isha Ram Das
Narrow Road to the Deep North (Season 1 Episode 5) – Jed Kurzel
Best Music for Unscripted & Reality Television Series
Eat the Invaders – Benjamin Speed
Million Dollar Secret – Dinesh Wicks, Adam Gock, Brontë Horder, Mitch Stewart, Cassie To, David Bruggemann, Rory Chenoweth, Adam Sofo (BMG)
Murder Down Under: Bodies in the Barrel – Amara Primero, Isabella Lavenuta, Jenna Pratt, Melany Thompson (Cooking Vinyl Publishing / Primechord Music)
Muster Dogs – Mark Walmsley (Universal Music Publishing / Ambience Entertainment)
Best Music for a Video Game or Other Interactive Media
Feed the Deep – Cedar Jones
Pinball Spire – Starling Tan
Rebel Moon: The Descent – David Barber
Tempopo – Jeff van Dyck
Best Opening Title Television Theme
In Her Nature – Tammy Ari
Last Days of the Space Age – Caitlin Yeo (Universal Music Publishing)
Last King of the Cross (Season 2) – Rafael May (Rogue Nation Publishing)
The Survivors – Thomas Rouch, Cornel Wilczek (Concord Music Publishing ANZ)
Best Original Song Composed for the Screen
Dream On (How to Make Gravy) – Megan Washington (Origin Music Publishing)
Five Walls (NCIS: Sydney Season 2, Ep 7) – Alana Wilkinson (Kobalt Music Publishing / Lillipilli IP)
Warrwurnum (Journey Home, David Gulpilil) – David Bridie, Yirrmal Marika (Mushroom Music)
Monsters (First Moon) – Dominic Cabusi, Bronte Maree O’Neill (Alba Australia Music Publishing)
Best Soundtrack Album
Bluey: Rug Island – Joff Bush, Theo Dimathaya Burarrwanga, Pluto Jonze, Roy Kellaway, Campbell Messer, Lachlan Nicholson, Steve Peach, Lewis Stiles, Yirrŋa Gotjiringu Yunupingu (Universal Music Publishing / Sony Music Publishing)
Moana 2 – Opetaia Tavita Foa’i, Mark Mancina (Universal Music Publishing)
The Order – Jed Kurzel (Universal Music Publishing / Sony Music Publishing)
The Raftsmen – Finn Clarke
Feature Film Score of the Year
Birthright – James Brown
How to Make Gravy – Samuel Dixon (Downtown Music Publishing)
Spit – Elliott Wheeler
Tornado – Jed Kurzel
Emerging Screen Composer of the Year
Ayda Akbal
Felix Wallis
James Mountain
Luna Pan
The full list and event details are available at apraamcos.com.au/screenmusicawards2025.
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