We answer your Song of the Year 2026 FAQs

Voting for Song of the Year 2026 is open!

$2,000 CASH still up for grabs, along with 2x tickets to the 2026 APRA Awards at Sydney’s Hordern Pavillion (with flights and accom covered!)

Voting closes midday AEDT 22 January  

Who can vote?

You need to be an APRA AMCOS member currently living in Australia or an APRA AMCOS member living overseas with Australian citizenship.

Are only Australian songs eligible?

Not necessarily! An APRA writer member must have co-written a minimum share of 20% in the work. 

Aside from that, the only eligibility requirements are that the track must have been released between 1 October 2024 – 30 September 2025. 

Which works are on the long list?

Our team compiles a list of around 500 eligible works by looking at chart data from the eligible time period. ARIA, AIR, Billboard, triple j, Country Songs Top 40 and many more chart sources are included in this research.
The list in the portal refreshes every time someone logs in – ensuring a different set of works at the top of the list every time.

Why should I vote?

Here's a few good reasons:

• Support your local scene! Send encouragement to creatives whose work you love.
• Participate in Australian music’s biggest peer-voted award, join thousands of others in casting your vote.
• MONEY! Go in the draw to win $2,000 CASH , as well as 2x tickets to the 2026 APRA Music Awards + flights & accommodation to Sydney (valued at $1,000 AUD).

Make sure to get your vote in by midday AEDT on 22 January. 

Congrats to Andrew W from VIC who took home $1,000 from Draw #1 in November last year! He voted for Vaudeville Smash’s ‘YOU’. Tis indeed a banger!

How do I vote?

Log into your APRA AMCOS Writer Portal and follow the prompts! 

You can either scroll through the long list, search in the long list or enter a different track manually. Each member (whether a publisher member or writer member) gets one vote each. All votes are equal, and you can only vote once – so choose wisely! It’s a simple majority vote, so the song with the greatest number of votes will win.

Can I vote for my own song?

You can vote for whichever eligible song you like – whether it’s in the long list or not.

When can I vote?

Voting is open now until Thursday 22 January 2026.

A shortlist of contenders will be announced shortly after closing, with the winner being announced on 29 April and taking home the trophy at the 2026 APRA Music Awards at the Hordern Pavilion, Sydney.