The Australian Women in Music Awards (AWMA) has announced its 2025 finalists. Now in its sixth year, the awards celebrate the achievements of artists and creative workers across a variety of genres with the winners to be announced at a ceremony on 9 October at Brisbane’s Fortitude Music Hall.

Nicole Car and Orchestra Victoria in The Puccini Gala. Photo © Jeff Busby.

The Opera Impact Award was introduced in the 2024 awards as an honour for a female or gender-diverse artist or creative worker making significant contributions in the field of opera. Soprano Nicole Car, composer Andrée Greenwell and soprano Siobhan Stagg have been nominated for the award. Greenwell was also one of the inaugural nominees last year.

The Excellence in Classical Music Award celebrates a “mid-to-late career artist who has demonstrated musical excellence across their career”. This year’s nominees are soprano Cheryl Barker, percussionist Claire Edwardes and composer-oboist Cathy Milliken. In 2023, Edwardes received the AWMA’s Creative Leadership Award.

This year’s nominees for the CollArts Creative Leadership Award for exceptional creative programming are Luara Brandao, Kimberley Galceran and Sonja Horbelt.

WA Youth Jazz Orchestra General Manager Monique Douglas, Australian Youth Orchestra CEO Kimbali...