Finalists Announced For Australian Women In Music Awards

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***Finalists of the Australian Women In Music Awards***

For the first time in Australian music history, The Australian Women In Music Awards will recognise the outstanding contributions of women across a range of categories.

Amy Shark, Katie Noonan, Deborah Cheetham, Gordi, Jen Cloher, Stella Donnelly, Ngaiire, Camp Cope, Sarah Blasko, Tiddas, and the Mission Songs Project are amongst the stellar list of finalists in the inaugural Australian Women in Music Awards (AWMA), which will be presented at a star-studded ceremony and party in Brisbane on Wednesday evening 10th October.

“I welcome the inaugural AMWA to Queensland’s thriving arts scene. This initiative perfectly reflects our government’s vision for the future. We want to see the exceptional talents and achievements of our many female artists, and women from all fields, fully recognised, keenly supported and enthusiastically celebrated at every opportunity,” Queensland Minister for Child Safety, Youth and Women and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence Di Farmer said.

“This will be a very special celebration of women in Australian music, those who have come before and those who continue to light the way. We are overwhelmed with support which we continue to receive from artists, the music community and the broader creative sector all of whom agree that the time for change has come” says AWMA Founding Director and Executive Producer, Vicki Gordon.

Fourteen AWMAs are up for grabs, from a public nomination process that attracted hundreds of individual nominations, each assessed by a specially-convened Jury Council comprised of industry professionals and practitioners of the highest calibre.

“We received nominations from every state and across all areas of diversity, the quality was exceptional with a broad representation from artists and music practitioners who operate outside the mainstream industry. It made the task of our jurors very tough,” says AWMA Founding Director and Executive Producer, Vicki Gordon.

Performances at the AWMA ceremony will include a dazzling mix of some of Australia’s biggest music names and most inspiring emerging artists including; Kate Ceberano, Katie Noonan, Adalita, Lou Bennett (Tiddas), Sophie Koh, Kween G, Gordi, Ancestress and Emily Wurramara. The AWMA’s are also the catalyst for the reformation of legendary Australian band Do Re Mi, led by Deborah Conway and Helen Carter, playing together for the first time in 30 years!

The AWMAs will also induct iconic Australian singer/songwriter Helen Reddy onto the inaugural AWMA Honour Roll. Reddy’s song ‘I Am Woman’ has been an anthem for the women’s movement since its release in 1971. The AWMA Honour Roll provides a platform for recognition and appreciation of home-grown music pioneers.

In addition to the awards ceremony, the AWMAs will host a two-day program at the Brisbane Powerhouse on October 9 and 10 with a series of free forums and panel discussions, a photographic exhibition, the QLD premiere of the documentary Her Sound – Her Story and a keynote address by Kate Ceberano.