About the J Awards
Beginning in 2005, the J Awards are our annual recognition of the best Australian music. There are five award categories: Australian Album of the Year, Australian Music Video of the Year, Unearthed Artist of the Year, Double J Artist of the Year and the Done Good Award.
Nomination & Winner announcements
The eligibility period is November 1, 2021 to October 31, 2022. Nominees will be revealed in November as part of our Ausmusic Month. The winners will be announced live on air across the day on Thursday 17 November.
The Judging Process
Input from the entire triple j family directs the nominations of each category. The final judging panel of each Award consists of the music and on-air teams at triple j, Unearthed, Double J and rage.
triple j Australian Album of the Year
Judging criteria
triple j picks one album from a list of around 10 nominees for Australian Album of the Year. All genres are considered. The winner is selected for its outstanding achievement as an Australian album. Its creativity, musicianship, contribution to Australian music, and audience impact are the main criteria employed by the judging panel in making its decision.
Eligibility
Any album released (either independently or through a record company) by an Australian artist between Nov 1 2021 - Oct 31 2022 is eligible for the award. The album must be available for purchase (through any means, not necessarily a record store) and received by triple j within this period.
Any album sent to triple j in consideration for airplay is automatically also in consideration for the J Award. There is no other official submission process.
Double J Australian Artist of the Year
Judging criteria
The award celebrates an Australian artist or group who has had a standout year for the Double J audience through the release of new music, live performances, or by making a valued contribution to Australian arts and culture.
Eligibility
Any album released (either independently or through a record company) by an Australian artist between Nov 1 2021 - Oct 31 2022 is eligible for the award, or any tours or work done in this period.
Any album sent to Double J in consideration for airplay is automatically also in consideration for the J Award. There is no other official submission process.
Unearthed Artist of the Year
Judging criteria
The award goes to an artist from triple j Unearthed that has had a standout year. The act must have uploaded new music to the site or won a competition through Unearthed in the past 12 months, grown their profile markedly, and had a noticeable presence on the music scene here and/or internationally. The act also exhibits the potential for future impact in music.
Eligibility
Any Unearthed artist who wins a competition or is featured on the triple j Unearthed site between Nov 1 2021 - Oct 31 2022 is eligible for the award. Any artist registered on the Unearthed site in this period is automatically also in consideration for the Award. There is no other official submission process.
triple j and rage Australian Music Video of the Year
Judging criteria
triple j selects one music video out of around 5 nominations as the Australian Music Video of the Year. The winning music video is selected for its creativity, originality, technical excellence and impact on the audience.
Eligibility
Any music video made available (either independently or through a record company) by an Australian artist - that is also directed by an Australian director - between Nov 1 2021 - Oct 31 2022 is eligible for the award.
Any music video sent to the rage ABC music video library (and therefore accessible by triple j) in consideration for TV airplay is automatically also in consideration for the Award. There is no other official submission process.
Done Good Award
Judging criteria
The triple j Done Good J Award recognises an individual or group who has done something real good in the Australian music scene.
Eligibility
Input from the entire triple j family is sought to determine nominations for the Done Good award.