Despite the hard-hitting impact of COVID-19 on the local industry, the 16th annual Music Victoria Awards will go down this November alongside Melbourne Music Week, celebrating the achievements and contributions of the state’s best bands, venues and personnel.
This year’s Awards will see the introduction of three new and updated categories including the all-new industry-voted award for Best Producer, as well as the merging of the Best Male and Best Female Musician to become Best Musician.
Elsewhere, the Outstanding Woman In Music Award has been tweaked to recognise the achievements of women both onstage and behind-the-scenes in technical roles, with the award being voted for by the Music Victoria Board. The Archie Roach Foundation Award for Best Emerging Peoples Act will be maintained to continue providing a cash grant and mentorship to the receiving artist.
“It’s been an incredibly tough year for the industry, but also a year where community spirit, ingenuity, and resilience have really come to the fore,” Music Victoria Awards Event Producer said in a statement shared today.
“The Victorian music community has so much to be proud of, and I encourage everyone to get involved with the Awards through submissions, voting and the event itself.”
Music Victoria have also noted a change in the Awards’ eligibility timeline, with all considerations for best album, song and genre awards needing to have been released between 1 September 2019 – 30 June 2020. Submissions for Music Victoria members are open from now until 5pm Monday July 20, so make sure to sign up and speak your peace.
For further details and a full list of the Award categories, head to the Music Victoria website.