Screen Music Awards return to Brisbane celebrating APRA centenary
Get ready for a celebration of cinematic genius, as the 2026 Screen Music Awards are set to return to Brisbane’s Fortitude Music Hall on Wednesday, October 28th. This year marks a significant milestone, as the ceremony celebrates the performing arts within the screen medium and coincides with APRA’s centenary celebrations, marking one hundred years of the performing rights organization.
Jointly presented by the Australian Performing Right Association (APRA) and the Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC), the awards recognize exceptional screen composition across a wide spectrum of storytelling. Sixteen categories will be on display, covering everything from short films and documentaries to feature films and children’s programming, underscoring the vast creative landscape of Australian screen music.
The event promises to be a vibrant gathering of musical talent, featuring renowned names. Actor and APRA member Rob Collins will host the evening, joined by guest presenters Claudia Karvan and Ayesha Madon. The musical heart of the ceremony will be led by composer Erkki Veltheim, who returns as music director, guiding a live orchestra through selections from nominated works.
The focus of the awards is on recognizing the profound impact of music in visual storytelling. The selection process is rigorous, involving panels of Australian screen composers who determine most of the winners. Furthermore, the APRA board selects two key awards—Distinguished Services to the Australian Screen and Emerging Screen Composer of the Year—while statistical analysis guides the decision for categories like Most Performed Screen Composer (Australia and Overseas).
The awards serve as a powerful mechanism for celebrating the community behind the scores. APRA AMCOS CEO Dean Ormston noted that the awards are an integral part of supporting the musicians behind the music for the past century. Similarly, AGSC president Amanda Brown emphasized that the ceremony offers the screen composition community a rare and vital chance to gather and be collectively recognized.
Last year’s inaugural ceremony already highlighted the international reach of Australian screen composition. Notable winners included Joff Bush, who received the Most Performed Screen Composer – Overseas award for his work on the globally popular Bluey, alongside Cornel Wilczek, who secured accolades for films like Fake and Netflix’s The Survivors. Other past recipients include Antonio Gambale, Fred Leone, Meg Washington, and Missy Higgins, setting a high bar for the talent on display in 2026.
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