The ARIA Awards are the premier event on the Australian music calendar: a celebration of all that is great and popular in local music, and an opportunity to showcase our artists to Australia and the rest of the world.
The very first ARIA Awards were presented in 1987 at the Sheraton Wentworth Hotel in Sydney, recognising excellence and innovation across all genres of Australian music. Those very first ARIAs were hosted by Sir Elton John and winners included INXS, Crowded House and John Farnham. Since then the ARIA Awards has developed into one of Australia's major award ceremonies, forging careers and playing host to countless memorable moments and performances.
The ARIA Awards are open to music released by members of ARIA, the Australian Record Industry Association. Artists, record companies, distributors and manufacturers can become members of ARIA. Each year the eligibility criteria for the ARIA Awards is reviewed and circulated to all ARIA members.
In 2024 there are 30 categories in the ARIA Awards, with award recipients determined by either the ARIA Voting Academy made up of music professionals, genre expert category panels, public voting and the ARIA board for special categories.
