BRISBANE, Australia — The Queensland Music Awards are on the move.
The 2026 edition of the QMAs will be presented April 22 at the Miami Marketta on the Gold Coast, marking the first time the ceremony has been hosted outside of Brisbane, the state capital.
“This year, the QMAs returns to its roots,” remarks Kris Stewart CEO of QMusic, which presents the QMAs with support by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland. “We’re putting the art and artists at the center by returning to an informal ‘music-first’ show that prioritizes the important things: music and mates.”
The move to the Gold Coast, about 50 miles south of the future Olympic city, is a restart after the brouhaha that soured last year’s event at Fortitude Music Hall. On that occasion, organizers were lashed when the jazz award was won by a pro-Palestinian instrumental piece, and its creator gave an impassioned speech on the night which touched on human rights violations in the Middle East.
In the fall-out, Brisbane City Council’s conservative Lord Mayor pulled funding for the QMAs, understood to be worth A$25,000 ($18,000), and openly questioned “whether the awards have been hijacked by extremists.”
The Gold Coast and its mayor Tom Tate have welcomed the ceremony. “Why wouldn’t the Queensland Music Awards be hosted in Australia’s very own Hollywood?,” he enthuses. “Honestly, it’s a match made in heaven or should I say – Miami,” a nod to the Gold Coast suburb.
Established in 2006, the QMAs celebrate the state’s “brightest emerging artists and established legends” in the Sunshine State, with its categories judged by more than 100 music industry professionals. The three major awards are the lifetime achievement, album of the year, and song of the year, the winner of which has a permanent reminder by way of a plaque embedded into Brunswick Street Mall in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley.
Nominees this year include Jem Cassar-Daley, Dami Im, The Jungle Giants, Amy Sheppard, DZ Deathrays, GLVES, Young Franco, and Meg Washington.
Also, artists will share in A$60,000 ($43,000) across four scholarships and awards, which are targeted at local artists at pivotal stages of their careers and bear the names of music legends: Billy Thorpe, Carol Lloyd, Dennis ‘Mop’ Conlon and Grant McLennan.
Scholarship winners will be announced at the Parliamentary Friends of the Music Industry event on Wednesday, March 25.
“As the industry evolves,” QMusic’s Stewart continues, “it can be easy to get lost in the grandness of the awards ecosystem and lose site of the rock ‘n roll attitude that bought us here. We’re excited to invite our incredible 2026 finalists to celebrate with us at our brand-new location as we connect and recognize the people who make this state such a powerful force in global music.”
See the full list of finalists here.