J Awards

Australian music awards

As part of Triple J's 30th anniversary celebrations in 2005, the station inaugurated a single "J Award" to be given for "an album of outstanding achievement as an Australian musical work of art – for its creativity, innovation, musicianship and contribution to Australian music."

The Judging criteria for the award is open to any album released (November the previous year to October the current year) either independently or through a record company by an Australian artist. The album must be available for purchase (All genres are considered) and any album sent to triple j in consideration for airplay is automatically also in consideration for the J Award given it’s received by triple j within this period. This award was renamed as the Australian Album of the Year in 2007. The triple j judges now looking back over the winners of site competitions over the year and awarding the triple j Unearthed J Award to the best and most promising artist. The Judging criteria for the Unearthed Artist of the Year is open to any artist who has had a ground breaking and impactful last 12 months. Any Unearthed artist who wins a sponsored competition or is featured on Unearthed is eligible for this award. Any artist registered on the Unearthed site during this period is also eligible in consideration for nomination for this award. originally with triple j tv as a co presenter but that role is now filled by ABC TV program rage. It was awarded by Double J, triple j's sister station, to the artist that the station had seen as the greatest contributor to either recorded music, live performances or Australian music culture, or a combination of the three, during the course of the year. This award celebrates artists who have released or produced an album that has resonated with Double J as an impressive musical work of art; have pulled off significant live performances, events or tours; or made a valued contribution through their music to Australian arts and culture.

In 2019, a fifth award for You Done Good Award was added to the schedule. The award goes to an Australian who has "made an impact on the industry through outstanding achievement, social change or altruistic endeavours." The current J Award trophy is a 3 D design that features the top third of the J Award logo, the Emu and Kangaroo crossed necks and heads, and is made of glass and has the Categories & Winners inscribed onto them. It has remained largely unchanged since its inception in 2008.

To see the full article for a particular year, please click on the year link. Year Australian Album of the Year Unearthed Artist of the Year Australian Music Video of the Year Double J Australian Artist of the Year 2005 Wolfmother by Wolfmother rowspan="2" rowspan="3" rowspan="9" 2006 The Hard Road by Hilltop Hoods 2007 Reclaim Australia by A. B. Original Stella Donnelly Tim White for "A Foreign Affair" by Client Liaison/Tina Arena Jen Cloher 2018 Lost Friends by Middle Kids Kwame Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore for "Native Tongue" by Mojo Juju Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu 2019 Rainbow Valley by Matt Corby Tones and I Sanjay De Silva for "Final Form" by Sampa The Great Sampa the Great 2020 14 Steps to a Better You by Lime Cordiale JK 47 Joey Hunter for "Billy Bad Again" by Tasman Keith Archie Roach 2021 Smiling with No Teeth by Genesis Owusu King Stingray Riley Blakeway for "The Other Black Dog" by Genesis Owusu The Avalanches 2022 Angel in Realtime by Gang of Youths Elsy Wameyo Raghav Rampal for "Oldboy" by 1300 Midnight Oil 2023

The only artists to have won more than one J Award are: Tame Impala, who won Australian Album of the Year in 2010 and 2012; King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, who won Double J Artist of the Year and Australian Music Video of the Year in 2016 and Sampa the Great, who won Double J Artist of the Year and Australian Music Video of the Year in 2019.