The Australian Independent Record Labels Association has announced the nominees for the 2026 AIR Awards, with Ninajirachi, Folk Bitch Trio and Way Dynamic among the most recognised artists ahead of the ceremony in Adelaide this July.
by Paul Cashmere
The Australian Independent Record Labels Association has unveiled the nominees for the 2026 AIR Awards, with the annual celebration of Australia’s independent music sector returning to Adelaide Town Hall on 30 July. Artists including Ninajirachi, Folk Bitch Trio, Way Dynamic, Ocean Alley and Bliss N Eso feature prominently across this year’s categories as AIR marks the 20th anniversary of the awards.
The AIR Awards have become one of the key indicators of activity and momentum within Australia’s independent recording community, recognising releases and campaigns outside the traditional major label system. Over two decades, the awards have tracked the rise of acts who later became mainstream successes, including Gotye, Courtney Barnett, Flume, Genesis Owusu and Amyl and the Sniffers.
This year’s nominees reflect the continuing fragmentation of Australia’s music landscape, where genre boundaries are increasingly fluid and artists are building audiences through streaming, touring and social media rather than traditional radio pathways. Electronic music, alternative pop and hybrid genre releases again feature strongly across the major categories.
Electronic producer Ninajirachi is among the most heavily nominated artists this year, earning recognition for I Love My Computer, the single ‘Ipod Touch’, as well as nominations for producer, publicity and marketing campaigns. Melbourne indie act Folk Bitch Trio also emerged as a standout, receiving nominations for Independent Album of the Year, Breakthrough Independent Artist and Music Video of the Year.
Other major nominees include Way Dynamic, whose Massive Shoe appears in both album and pop categories, while the single ‘Miffed It’ is shortlisted for Independent Song of the Year. Perth indie rock band Spacey Jane secured a nomination for Best Independent Rock Album or EP for If That Makes Sense, alongside fellow nominees Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers, The Belair Lip Bombs and The Southern River Band.
The awards also continue to showcase the breadth of Australia’s independent sector beyond mainstream commercial genres. Categories spanning jazz, classical, children’s music, country and heavy music highlight the scale of activity occurring outside the major label framework. Artists such as Emma Memma, The Wiggles, John Butler and The Cat Empire all received nominations in specialist categories.
South Australian Arts Minister Kyam Maher said the state government’s continued support for the AIR Awards and Indie-Con reflected Adelaide’s growing role in the music industry.
“The South Australian Government is proud to support Indie-Con Australia and the AIR Awards, and to welcome nominees, industry leaders and delegates from across Australia and around the world to South Australia,” Maher said.
He added that hosting the event in Adelaide, which holds UNESCO City of Music status, alongside A2IM’s Indie Week Australian Edition, reinforced South Australia’s position within the international independent music sector.
The awards ceremony will again coincide with AIR’s Indie-Con Australia conference and A2IM’s Indie Week Australian Edition, both scheduled to run from 29 to 31 July at Mercury Cinema and Nexus Arts in Adelaide. The expanded conference component reflects the increasing importance of export markets, digital distribution and international partnerships for Australian independent labels and artists.
While the AIR Awards have historically operated outside the commercial profile of the ARIA Awards, the influence of the independent sector has shifted significantly over the past decade. Independent artists now routinely dominate Australian touring circuits and streaming playlists, while many major label distribution deals increasingly mirror independent operating models. The strong showing for electronic and genre-crossing artists this year also highlights how Australian independents are adapting more rapidly to audience shifts than traditional label structures.
Full List Of 2026 AIR Awards Nominees
Best Independent Blues And Roots Album Or EP
John Butler, Prism
Folk Bitch Trio, Now Would Be A Good Time
Liz Stringer, The Second High
Melbourne Ska Orchestra, The Ballad Of Monte Loco
Sons Of The East, Sons
Best Independent Hip Hop Album Or EP
Bliss N Eso, The Moon (The Light Side)
Devaura, Vol 1. Learning In Public
Elsy Wameyo, Wameyo
Jamaica Moana, Bud & Deni
Teether & Kuya Neil, Yearn IV
Best Independent Country Album Or EP
Emily Lubitz, Two Black Horses
Hayley Jensen, Country Soul
Imogen Clark, Choking On Fuel
Ruby Gill, Some Kind Of Control
Wade Forster, Gooseneck Party
Best Independent Jazz Album Or EP
Natalie Gauci, Pictures Of Mars
Phia, When I’m Holding You, I’m Holding Me
Temporary Blessings, Sumbisori
The Cat Empire, Bird In Paradise
Touch Sensitive, In Paradise
Best Independent Classical Album Or EP
Andrea Lam, Piano Diary
Australian String Quartet, Vanessa Perica, String Quartet No. 1 No Feeling Is Final
Joseph Tawadros, The Forgotten Path To Humanity
Rose Riebl, Dust
William Barton and Omega Ensemble, Gift – Our Breath Of Life
Best Independent Children’s Album Or EP
Diver City, Weekend Baby
Emma Memma, Dance Island Party
Justine Clarke, Mimi’s Symphony
Teeny Tiny Stevies, Brain Fart
The Wiggles and The Tree Of Wisdom, The Tree Of Wisdom
Best Independent Dance/Club Single
Confidence Man featuring Jade, Gossip
DJ PGZ And Yikes, Ouss Ouss
Fisher, Stay
Shouse, Sunrise
VV Pete featuring Utility and Formation Boyz, Wassa
Best Independent Electronic Single
Cosmo’s Midnight, 45
Keanu Nelson, Place Where I Go / Kapi Ngalyananni
Ninajirachi, Ipod Touch
Robert Baxter & Sweatbaby, Icy (Take It Off)
The Superjesus & The Journey, Something Good
Best Independent Punk Album Or EP
Press Club, To All The Ones I Love
Private Function, ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Radio Free Alice, Empty Words EP
These New South Whales, Godspeed
Wet Kiss, Thus Spoke The Broken Chanteuse
Best Independent Heavy Album Or EP
Battlesnake, Dawn Of The Exultants And The Hunt For The Shepherd
Hands Like Houses, Atmospherics
NPCEDE, NPCEDE
The Maggie Pills, Hearts Induring Lingering Loss
Thornhill, Bodies
Best Independent Electronic Album Or EP
Essendon Airport, Mor
Mel Blue, No More Jackets Please
Ninajirachi, I Love My Computer
Rona., It’s All Here (EP)
Shouse, Collective Ecstasy
Best Independent Rock Album Or EP
Playlunch, Sex Ed
Spacey Jane, If That Makes Sense
Teen Jesus And The Jean Teasers, Glory
The Belair Lip Bombs, Again
The Southern River Band, Easier Said Than Done
Best Independent Soul/RNB Album Or EP
Bumpy, Kanana
Cookin’ On 3 Burners, Cookin’ The Books
Don West, Give Me All Your Love
Felivand, My Body’s My True North
WILSN, Bloom
Best Independent Pop Album Or EP
Georgia Knight, Beanpole
Montaigne, It’s Hard To Be A Fish
Stella Donnelly, Love And Fortune
The Tullamarines, Safety Blanket
Way Dynamic, Massive Shoe
Breakthrough Independent Artist Of The Year
Folk Bitch Trio
Georgia Knight
Rageflower
Rona.
Yes Boone
Independent Song Of The Year
Jem Cassar-Daley, Kiss Me Like You’re Leaving
Keli Holiday, Dancing2
Ninajirachi, Ipod Touch
Playlunch, Keith
Way Dynamic, Miffed It
Independent Album Of The Year
Folk Bitch Trio, Now Would Be A Good Time
Ninajirachi, I Love My Computer
The 046, Legacy In Motion
The Belair Lip Bombs, Again
Way Dynamic, Massive Shoe
Best Independent Label
ABC Music
Astral People Recordings
College Of Knowledge
Mushroom Music
NLV Records
Independent Marketing Team Of The Year
Mushroom Music, Bliss N Eso, The Moon (The Light Side)
NLV Records and The Orchard, Ninajirachi, I Love My Computer
Playlunch and ABC Music, Playlunch, Keith
Secretly Group, Folk Bitch Trio, Now Would Be A Good Time
The Annex, Ocean Alley, Love Balloon
Independent Publicity Team Of The Year
Cult Logic, Ocean Alley, Love Balloon
Mushroom Music, Bliss N Eso, The Moon (The Light Side)
Mushroom Music, WILSN, Bloom
TWNTY THREE, Folk Bitch Trio, Now Would Be A Good Time
TWNTY THREE, Ninajirachi, I Love My Computer
Independent Music Video Of The Year
Angus Wolfe PKA Ball Bass John, Ninajirachi, Fuck My Computer
Bridgette Winten, Folk Bitch Trio, Cathode Ray
Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore, Miss Kaninna, Backstreets
Tas Wilson and James Adams, Jem Cassar-Daley, Kiss Me Like You’re Leaving
Jasper Van Daatselaar, Way Dynamic, People Settle Down
Independent Producer Of The Year
Angus Stone, Dope Lemon, Golden Wolf
Benjamin Stewart, Slowly Slowly, Forgiving Spree
Dylan Young, Way Dynamic, Massive Shoe
Nick Didia, Ocean Alley, Love Balloon
Nina Wilson, Ninajirachi, I Love My Computer
Independent Mix, Studio Or Mastering Engineer Of The Year
Becki Whitton, Timothy Harvey and Hannah Cameron, Ruby Gill, Some Kind Of Control
Leon Zervos, Ocean Alley, Love Balloon
Michael Carpenter, Imogen Clark, Choking On Fuel
Stephen Mowat, WILSN, Bloom
Thomas Purcell PKA Wave Racer, Ninajirachi, I Love My Computer
The 2026 AIR Awards will be held as an invite-only industry event at Adelaide Town Hall on Thursday, 30 July.
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