Soundmerch Drop First Nominees For 2023 Australian Music Prize

For nearly two decades, the Australian Music Prize (AMP) has been a cornerstone of the industry’s efforts to recognise and champion homegrown talent. It returns for a 19th edition in 2023, and today, we have some major news to share about it. 

For starters, this year’s AMP will be the first to sport a new timeframe for eligibility: all Australian albums released between January 1 and October 31 of this year will be considered for the prize. Any records that drop from November 1 onwards will be thrown into the mix for next year’s AMP, though. 

In the past, the window of eligibility would simply be from January 1 to December 31. In a statement, Scott B. Murphy (founder and director of the AMP) explained the change: “Unlike previous years, I’ve found that our past two winner announcements have been ‘late’. The winning albums had already been well recognised for their brilliance. There’s a reason why many awards are awarded in the last quarter of the year – that’s when the vibe is right to celebrate great art.”

Alongside the news, Murphy and his team have revealed the first 13 albums nominated for the 2023 AMP. The full shortlist (of nine finalists) will be made later in the year – tentatively, Murphy noted, in late November or early December – but in the meantime, these records have all earned the “nod” from the AMP’s panel of judges:

Bec Stevens – Big Worry
Cash Savage And The Last Drinks – So This Is Love
Civic – Taken By Force
Cub Sport – Jesus At The Gay Bar
Floodlights – Painting Of My Time
Henry Wagons – South Of Everywhere
Jen Cloher – I Am The River, The River Is Me
Mo’ju – Oro, Plata, Mata
Moody Beaches – Acid Ocean
RVG – Brain Worms
Summer Flake – One Less Thing
Tropical Fuck Storm – Submersive Behaviour
Xylouris White – The Forest In Me

Additionally, the AMP team have linked up with Apple Music to create a new hub on the platform, where users can listen to this year’s nominated albums, all 18 of the previous years’ winners, and all the albums that have been shortlisted throughout the AMP’s history. You can see the hub itself here.

The 2022 AMP was taken out by King Stingray, who won the title (and $30,000 cash prize) on the back of their eponymous debut album. At a ceremony held in Sydney (Eora), the band said they were “unbelievably stoked” to be honoured with the award, noting: “We had so much fun making this record and we just hope that listeners can hear the joy that we had making it, as well as feel the joy for themselves. It really means the world to us to hear people enjoying the album and we have so many people to thank…” 

Submissions for the 2023 AMP are open to anyone – head here for more info.

PREVIOUS AUSTRALIAN MUSIC PRIZE RECIPIENTS
2022 – King Stingray – King Stingray
2021 – Genesis Owusu – Smiling With No Teeth
2020 – The Avalanches – We Will Always Love You
2019 – Sampa The Great – The Return
2018 – Gurrumul – Djarimirri
2017 – Sampa The Great – Birds And The BEE9
2016 – A.B. Original – Reclaim Australia
2015 – Courtney Barnett – Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit
2014 – REMI – Raw X Infinity
2013 – Big Scary – Not Art
2012 – Hermitude – HyperParadise
2011 – The Jezabels – Prisoner
2010 – Cloud Control – Bliss Release
2009 – Lisa Mitchell – Wonder
2008 – Eddy Current Suppression Ring – Primary Colours
2007 – The Mess Hall – Devils Elbow
2006 – Augie March, Moo – You Bloody Choir
2005 – The Drones – Wait Long By The River And The Bodies Of Your Enemies Will Float By