The Australian Independent Record Labels Association (AIR) has opened nominations for the 2026 Air Awards, introducing key changes to its dance and electronic categories as the event prepares to mark its 20th anniversary.
The ceremony will return to Adelaide Town Hall on July 30, with eligible releases spanning Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2025. Nominations close at 5 p.m. AEDT on March 13.
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For 2026, AIR has split its dance and electronic recognition into more clearly defined lanes. A new Best Independent Dance/Club Single category will spotlight club-driven tracks — including house, techno, trance, drum & bass and garage — with eligibility requiring a DJ service component.
Best Independent Electronic Single will recognize electronic releases not designed primarily for club settings, separating festival-floor material from broader electronic artistry.
The former Best Independent Dance or Electronica Album or EP category has been renamed Best Independent Electronic Album or EP to align with the updated single framework.
The changes reflect the continued growth of Australia’s electronic export market, with independent dance artists increasingly building global touring profiles alongside streaming momentum. Electronic music remains one of the country’s most internationally scalable indie genres.
The 2026 awards will feature 22 categories, including Independent Album of the Year, Independent Song of the Year, Breakthrough Independent Artist of the Year (presented by PPCA), Best Independent Label, Independent Producer of the Year and Independent Mix, Studio or Mastering Engineer of the Year.
Since launching in 2006, the Air Awards have presented more than 250 honors, with past nominees and winners including Amyl and the Sniffers, Genesis Owusu, Courtney Barnett, Flume, Sampa the Great, G Flip and Confidence Man.
AIR will again stage its Indie-Con Australia conference alongside A2IM’s Indie Week Australian Edition from July 29–31 at Mercury Cinema and Nexus Arts in Adelaide.
Now entering its third decade, the Air Awards arrives at a moment of recalibration for Australia’s independent sector — with electronic music positioned as both a cultural driver and an export growth engine within the indie ecosystem.
