Tame Impala and Genesis Owusu lead 2026 ARIA nominations with eight each
Tame Impala and Genesis Owusu will go into the 40th ARIA Awards with eight nominations each.
ARIA, the body that runs Australia's national music prizes, confirmed the shortlists on 24 September in its official announcement, 'ARIA Awards celebrate 40 years of Australian music as Genesis Owusu and Tame Impala lead the 2026 nominations' ARIA. The tied lead sets up a broad contest across albums, solo performance, genre and independent releases.
The winners will be decided on Wednesday, 18 November at the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney Billboard. The venue sits on Gadigal land. The ceremony will cover 29 categories honouring Australian music, and will stream live on Paramount+ and air on 10.
Tame Impala's eight nominations include album of the year, best solo artist, best pop release and best dance/electronic release. The nods span the main album and artist prizes alongside two genre categories. It puts the act in contention in both voted industry categories and wider field awards.
Genesis Owusu matches that total with eight. His nominations include album of the year, best solo artist and best independent release, for an independent release where the artist retains greater control outside the major label system. The nominated record is his third album, according to ABC.
Ecca Vandal is close behind. She has seven nominations for this year's awards.
A large group follows on five nominations each: Baker Boy, BOY SODA, G Flip, Miss Kaninna and Ninajirachi. Dom Dolla, DMA'S and Troye Sivan each collected four nominations. That spread gives the November ceremony several parallel races to watch, from pop and dance to live performance.
For fans, this means a direct say in four prizes. The publicly voted categories are best Australian live act, song of the year, best video and most popular international artist. The remaining categories are decided by ARIA's voting academy of industry members.
What makes this stand out is the birthday. The 2026 edition is the 40th annual ARIA Awards, marking four decades of the event as a showcase for local talent alongside international guests.
