AAM Awards 2026: Amyl And The Sniffers' Managers Lead Nominations

The nominations for the Association of Artist Managers’ fifth annual awards have been revealed, ahead of the ceremony next month at Sydney’s Crowbar.

Sundowner Artists’ Simone Ubaldi & Andrew Parisi (Amyl And The Sniffers) are nominated for Artist Manager of the Year, a category they won at the inaugural AAM Awards in 2022.

This year, Ubaldi and Parisi will compete with Weird Fishes’ Aidan McLaren and Joe Miles (Boy & Bear, The Dreggs, Pete Murray, Steph Strings), Heartstop Music’s Alastair Burns (Folk Bitch Trio, Marlon Williams), and UNIFIED Music Group’s Caleb Williams (Radhika Das) and Dan Nascimento (Ocean Alley).

Manager of the Year is one of seven categories to be presented, including Breakthrough Manager of the Year, Emerging Manager of the Year, and the Community Engagement Award, all recognizing achievements from January 2025 to December 2025.

Scheduled for April 29th, the AAM’s annual ceremony celebrates “some of the most influential, innovative and successful artists from around the country,” and acknowledges the managers who have “contributed to uplifting Australian artists and their music on a global scale,” according to the organization.

Finalists were selected through consultation with a panel of representatives from the Australian and international music industry.

The AAM will also present the Legacy Award, curated by the board, and the Patron’s Gift Award, curated by the patrons. The 2026 APRA AMCOS Lighthouse Award will also be presented. Matt Okine will host the ceremony.

“The AAM Awards are a chance to pause and recognise the managers who, over the past 12 months, have quietly steered careers through that reality, building sustainable pathways for artists, often against the odds,” says AAM executive director Maggie Collins. “We’re looking forward to uncovering those stories and celebrating the central role managers play in holding together Australia’s music ecosystem.”

Presented by White Sky, this year’s show will be a lunchtime gathering before the APRA Music Awards. Last year’s edition was held in Melbourne.

The not-for-profit AAM has over 400 artist manager members, representing over 1,250 Australian artists globally.

Finalists for 2026 AAM Awards:

Manager of the Year (Presented by White Sky)

• Aidan McLaren & Joe Miles (Weird Fishes)
  Roster: Boy & Bear, The Dreggs, Pete Murray, Steph Strings, Tim Hart, RAGEFLOWER

• Alastair Burns (Heartstop Music)
  Roster: Folk Bitch Trio, Marlon Williams

• Caleb Williams (UNIFIED Music Group)
  Roster: Radhika Das, Jahnavi Harrison, Bodyjar, The Amity Affliction, Premanjali, Violent Soho (Co-Manager)

• Dan Nascimento (UNIFIED Music Group)
  Roster: Ocean Alley, Jack Botts

• Simone Ubaldi & Andrew Parisi (Sundowner Artists)
  Roster: Amyl and The Sniffers, Grace Cummings, The Gnomes, Girl and Girl, Nice Biscuit (Consultant Managers), Baby Cool (Consultant Managers)

Breakthrough Manager of the Year (Presented by DMT Law Firm)

• Ashlyn & Ken Dinsdale (Goldspur Entertainment)
  Roster: Mack Geiger, Briana Dinsdale

• Christopher Kevin Au (24 Karat Enterprises)
  Roster: POSSESHOT, SPEED (Co-Manager), Shady Nasty (Co-Manager), FUKHED (Co-Manager)

• Jade Nazareth (One Louder)
  Roster: Matthew Ifield

• Melody Forghani (Twnty Three MGMT)
  Roster: Shady Nasty (Co-Manager), These New South Whales, Stella Bridie, Parissa Tosif, Ashwarya (Lead Manager), GAUCI (Co-Manager), Dogworld (Co-Manager)

• Nick Lynagh (UNIFIED Music Group)
  Roster: Wade Forster (Co-Manager), Brad Cox (Co-Manager), ISHAN (Co-Manager)

Emerging Manager of the Year (Presented by PPCA)

• Ali Tomoana (Soul Has No Tempo)
  Roster: Miss Kaninna

• Beau Somers (BASE LEVEL ONE)
  Roster: Dear Seattle, Lucky, STUMPS, Fletcher Matthews

• Darcy O’Brien (Wildfire Music Management)
  Roster: Go-Jo, Yes Boone, Ullah

• Hugh Cruickshank (moretocome entertainment)
  Roster: Velvet Trip, Le Shiv

• Rick Bridgman (Good Intent)
  Roster: Close Counters, Fool Nelson

Community Engagement Award (Presented by The Orchard)

• Ali Tomoana (Soul Has No Tempo)
  Roster: Miss Kaninna

• Greg Carey (Grow Yourself Up / Ripple Effect)
  Roster: The Rubens, Mia Wray, Cloud Control, Urthboy, Rob Amoruso, Pip Norman, Miiesha

• Laura Semple (Hunger Digital)
  Roster: Dirty Versachi, Dyan Tai, GUARD, Kit Genesis, Lara Villani

• Tani Webb (First Nations Focus)
  Roster: FLEWNT, INKABEE, Taija

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