A print version of this information can be found in the Downloads section of our Media Centre.

A list of all 28 award categories with their full definitions is shown below. These definitions are to be read in conjunction with the general eligibility criteria.

The Hall of Fame and Lifetime Achievement Awards are awarded at the discretion of the ARIA Board.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR (Judged by the Voting Academy)
Solo artists and groups are eligible. The recording must be released in the eligibility period and appear in the ARIA Top 100 Albums Chart published between Sunday, 3 August 2008 and Sunday, 30 August 2009 inclusive.

SINGLE OF THE YEAR (Judged by the Voting Academy)
Solo artists and groups are eligible. The recording must be released in the eligibility period and appear in the ARIA Top 100 Singles Chart published between Sunday, 3 August 2008 and Sunday, 30 August 2009 inclusive.

BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST – ALBUM (Judged by the Voting Academy)
Solo artists and groups are eligible. The recording must have appeared in the top 50 of the ARIA Top 100 Albums Chart published between Sunday, 3 August 2008 and Sunday, 30 August 2009, inclusive. Artists and groups are not eligible if they, or any member of the group, has previously been a final five (5) nominee in any ARIA Awards category with an album, or if they have been in a group that has previously been a final five (5) nominee with an album, or if they have had a previous Top 50 Album in the ARIA Album Chart. Entries must be accompanied by a list of group members appearing on the album.

BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST – SINGLE (Judged by the Voting Academy)
Solo artists and groups are eligible. The recording must have appeared in the top 50 of the ARIA Top 100 Singles Chart published between Sunday, 3 August 2008 and Sunday, 30 August 2009, inclusive. Artist and groups are not eligible if they, or any member of the group, has previously been a final five (5) nominee in any ARIA Awards category. Artists or groups are not eligible if they have had a previous Top 50 Single on the ARIA Singles Chart, or if they have been in a group that has had a previous Top 50 Single in the ARIA Singles Chart. Entries must be accompanied by a list of group members appearing on the single.

BEST GROUP (Judged by the Voting Academy)
Album and single recordings are eligible. A group comprises two or more people. If the name on the label is that of a band with no indication of any individual name, then such band will be considered in the Group category only. If the label refers to an individual and a band, the ARIA member must nominate whether that act is to be deemed a group or a solo act for the ARIAs.

BEST MALE ARTIST (Judged by the Voting Academy)
Album and single recordings are eligible. If the label refers to an individual and a band, the ARIA Member must nominate whether that act is to be deemed a solo or group act for the ARIAs.

BEST FEMALE ARTIST (Judged by the Voting Academy)
Album and single recordings are eligible. If the label refers to an individual and a band, the ARIA Member must nominate whether that act is to be deemed a solo or group act for the ARIAs.

BEST ROCK ALBUM (Judged by the Voting Academy)
Solo artists and groups are eligible. Only album recordings are eligible. Recording must be directed toward Contemporary Rock, Modern Rock and Active Rock formats. Artist cannot be entered in any other genre category.

BEST ADULT CONTEMPORARY ALBUM (Judged by the Voting Academy) *
Solo artists and groups are eligible. Only album recordings are eligible. Recording must be directed toward Adult Contemporary formats. Artist cannot be entered in any other genre category.

BEST POP RELEASE (Judged by the Voting Academy) *
Solo artists and groups are eligible. Album and single recordings are eligible. Recording must be directed toward CHR/Top 40 formats. Artist cannot be entered in any other genre category.

BEST INDEPENDENT RELEASE (Judged by the Voting Academy)
Solo artists and groups are eligible. Album and single recordings are eligible. The nominated recording must be released by either an ARIA Levy II Member or a Member, provided that such member is not part of a multinational corporation.

Recordings for which the production costs are funded either:

(a)	by a Levy Member; or
(b)	by a local license or distribution deal; or
(c)	through an overseas licensing or distribution deal

are not eligible.

Distribution in Australia must be undertaken by an independent ARIA member. For the sake of clarity, this excludes Levy Members or any members that are part of a multinational corporation.

BEST MUSIC DVD (Judged by the Voting Academy)
Solo artists, groups, and various artist compilations are eligible. At least 50% of the DVD’s audio-visual content (by time) must not have been previously commercially released and a track listing must be supplied on request. In the event of a various artist release winning this award, one trophy will awarded to each credited performer, be it solo artist or group. The DVD must qualify for inclusion in the ARIA Music DVD chart. In the case of a combined DVD/CD recording, the record company will have nominated at the time of release whether that DVD/CD will chart on the ARIA DVD chart or the ARIA album chart. Only releases selected for inclusion in the ARIA Music DVD chart are eligible for this award.

BEST COMEDY RELEASE (Judged by a Voting School) *
Solo artists, groups and various artist compilations are eligible. Album, single and DVD recordings are eligible. Compilation recordings must comprise 100% previously unreleased recordings. Recording cannot be entered in any other genre category.

BEST COUNTRY ALBUM (Judged by a Voting School) *
Solo artists and groups are eligible. Only album recordings are eligible. This category encompasses country music, both contemporary and traditional. Artist cannot be entered in any other genre category.

BEST BLUES & ROOTS ALBUM (Judged by a Voting School) *
Solo artists and groups are eligible. Only album recordings are eligible. This category encompasses both contemporary and traditional blues forms and contemporary adaptations of Australian traditional music and/or folklore. Artist cannot be entered in any other genre category.

BEST CHILDREN’S ALBUM (Judged by a Voting School) *
Solo artists, groups, soundtracks and various artist projects are eligible. Only album recordings are eligible. This category encompasses recordings whose form and content are directed towards a preteen demographic. In the case of compilations, entries must comprise 50% material recorded specifically for that compilation. Recording cannot be entered in any other genre category.

BEST DANCE RELEASE (Judged by a Voting School) *
Solo artists, groups, production teams and various artist compilations are eligible. Album and single recordings are eligible provided they have been commercially released. Artists working primarily within the dance genre, eg: House, Techno, Trance, Hardcore, Garage, Breakbeat, Drum & Bass, Disco and Electronica are eligible. In the case of a remixed album or single, the production team(s) and the original recording artist(s) must both meet the artist eligibility criteria, and the release must qualify for inclusion in either the ARIA Album or Single chart. The ARIA member must also nominate whether the production team or the original recording artist would be the recipient of the award. Artist cannot be entered in any other genre category.

BEST URBAN RELEASE (Judged by a Voting School) *
Solo artists, groups, and production teams are eligible. Only albums are eligible. Artists working primarily within the urban genre, eg: r’n’b, hip-hop, soul, funk, reggae and dancehall, are eligible. A remixed or re-recorded album is eligible provided that:

	the original album has not been a final five ARIA Award nominee in any category;
	the original album is substantially reworked so that the new album contains a minimum of 50% new lyrical and/or 50% new musical content;
	the production team(s) and the original recording artist(s) both meet the artist eligibility criteria; and
	the ARIA member entering the album must nominate whether the production team or the original recording artist would be the recipient of the Award.

The album must qualify for inclusion in either the ARIA Album chart. Artist cannot be entered in any other genre category.

Fine Arts Awards

BEST CLASSICAL ALBUM (Judged by a Voting School) *
Solo artists and groups are eligible. Only album recordings are eligible. Australian featured artists or soloists involved with ensembles or orchestras containing more than 50% of non-Australian artists are eligible provided the album packaging credits the Australian(s) as the featured artist(s). Recording cannot be entered in any other genre category.

BEST JAZZ ALBUM (Judged by a Voting School) *
Solo artists and groups are eligible. Only album recordings are eligible. This category encompasses jazz: vocal, and/or instrumental, mainstream, traditional and contemporary recordings. Artist cannot be entered in any other genre category.

BEST WORLD MUSIC ALBUM (Judged by a Voting School) *
Solo artists and groups are eligible. Only album recordings are eligible. This category encompasses predominately indigenous, ethnic, folk or cross-cultural music. Artist cannot be entered in any other genre category.

BEST ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK/CAST/SHOW ALBUM (Judged by a Voting School)*
Solo artists, groups and various artist compilations are eligible. Only album recordings are eligible. Recordings of existing or planned theatrical productions and soundtracks, scores and underscores for existing or planned film and television productions are eligible.

All entries must be 100% previously unreleased recordings, except:

	New recordings of previously released cast and/or show recordings are eligible.
	In the case of compilation soundtracks, which must contain over 50% of previously unreleased material by tracks and/or time, and all artists must meet the artist eligibility criteria.

Recording cannot be entered in any other genre category.

Artisan Awards

BEST COVER ART (Judged by the Voting Academy)
This category awards original cover graphics by designers who meet the eligibility requirements. Covers must have been designed in Australia. Criteria for judging includes: originality of design concept, overall design appreciation and merchandising impact. Only album recordings are eligible. Albums which meet the general eligibility criteria may be eligible for this award even though they may not meet specific criteria for other awards. For the purposes of clarity, this may include a greatest hits album or a new compilation of previously recorded works. The award is presented to the designer of the cover who must meet the general eligibility criteria for artists as laid out in Paragraph 3(a), 3(b) and 3(c). Where more than one person is involved in the design, the award will be given to the person with overall responsibility for the design concept.

BEST VIDEO (Judged by the Voting Academy)
Concept, direction and performance of the video are major criteria, not necessarily the excellence of the music. This award is presented to the Director of the entered video who must meet the general eligibility criteria for artists as laid out in Paragraph 3(a), 3(b) and 3(c). If the single was not commercially released, then the media servicing date must fall within the eligibility period.

ENGINEER OF THE YEAR (Judged by a Voting School)
A single track, multiple tracks, or an entire album may be submitted for each engineer. DVD releases are not eligible. Only work released during the period of eligibility will be considered. International product is eligible but entrants must accord with the general eligibility criteria for artists. In the case of a co-engineer, all parties must individually meet the artist eligibility criteria as laid out in Paragraph 3(a), 3(b) and 3(c).

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR (Judged by a Voting School)
A single track, multiple tracks, or an entire album may be submitted for each producer. DVD releases are not eligible. Only work released during the period of eligibility will be considered. International product is eligible but entrants must accord with the general eligibility criteria for artists. In the case of a co-production, all parties must individually meet the artist eligibility criteria as laid out in Paragraph 3(a), 3(b) and 3(c).

Sales Awards

In the past we have required an Auditor’s Report at the time of entry. This is no longer required. You may now submit your entry(ies) without an Auditor’s Report, however should any entry have a good possibility of making the final five we will advise you and you will be required to submit an Auditor’s Report for those releases within 14 days of the request.

The timeline for the submission of entries in these Highest Selling categories is therefore as follows:

	Monday 31 August 2009 – end of sales period
	Monday 14 September 2009 – entries to be delivered to Turlough O’Brolchain at BDO Kendalls (see details below)
	Thursday 17 September 2009 – ARIA members contacted if Auditor’s Reports are required for any entry
	Friday 2 October 2009 – Auditor Reports to be delivered to BDO Kendalls
	Thursday 8 October 2009 – Final five nominees announced in all categories, including Highest Selling Album and Highest Selling Single

When submitting your entries to BDO Kendalls you must provide:

	Catalogue number
	Label information (label name and distributor)
	Artist name
	Release title
	Release date
	Sales for the period 1 August 2008 – 31 August 2009, split by format and catalogue number (if more than one), with a total for the release.

An Auditor’s Report must confirm that the reported units sold agree with the books and records of the company and have been correctly calculated in accordance with the definition of Net Sales (see below), and that nothing has come to the auditor’s attention that leads them to believe that the information is incorrect.

Qualifying sales for Highest Selling Australian Album and Highest Selling Australian Single:

(a)	Entries in these categories must have been eligible for either the ARIA Combined Singles Chart, the Physical Singles Chart or the main Albums Chart during The Period.
(b)	Sales shall be NET Australian physical and digital sales for the period Friday 1 August 2008 – Monday 31 August 2009, inclusive. (“The Period”).
(c)	Digital sales (full length permanent downloads) eligible for inclusion are as follows:
	Singles:
	i.   Up to four different digital bundles, providing each contains a common (lead) track, that is also contained on the physical single product; ii.   An individual download of that lead track; iii.   An individual download of an ‘explicit’ version of the lead track, provided it is of the same duration and essentially identical to the lead or album track contained on the physical single, apart from minimal variation in lyrics; iv.   An individual download of the “album” version of the lead track; and v.   An individual download of the video clip of the lead track.
	Albums:
	i.   Bundles equivalent to the physical release; ii.   Bundles with at least 80% of tracks (by number) contained on the physical variant of the title, but no more than 6 tracks that are not contained on the physical variant.
(d)	Net Sales exclude: - Direct export sales; - Promotion, ie: complimentary copies; - Premium Sales (see below); - Returned product (returns received during the sales period are deducted from sales in that period - no allowance for returns is required).
(e)	Net sales may include Record Club sales.
(f)	Premium Sales are sales (or vouchers for redemption of digital copies) of products (physical or digital) made under non-conventional terms, where product is specially produced for another company that does not usually sell/distribute recorded music for the purpose of distribution/dissemination to consumers as part of a special promotion. Premium Sales may be summarised as follows:
	The product is sold to a retailer or other selling company which does not normally engage in the business of selling recorded music and at least one of the following is true: Bundles equivalent to the physical release; Bundles with at least 80% of tracks (by number) contained on the physical variant of the title, but no more than 6 tracks that are not contained on the physical variant.

The closing date for initial entries in these categories is 5:00pm, Monday 14 September 2009, and you will be contacted later that week if an audit certificate is required. Entries must be faxed to:

Turlough O'Brolchain
BDO Kendalls
Fax: (02) 9993-9454
Email: Turlough.O'Brolchain@bdo.com.au

HIGHEST SELLING AUSTRALIAN SINGLE
A company may enter up to five (5) recordings in this category. The entry with the highest NET sales will be the winner. For this award the recording does not have to have been first released during the eligibility period and therefore a recording can be eligible for this Award more than once.

HIGHEST SELLING AUSTRALIAN ALBUM
A company may enter up to five (5) recordings in this category. The entry with the highest NET sales will be the winner. For this award the recording does not have to have been first released during the eligibility period and therefore a recording can be eligible for this Award more than once.

* Note this is a genre category.