The Australian Women in Music Awards (AWMA) was founded in 2018 by industry veteran, Vicki Gordon, after a 2017 research report Skipping A Beat found gender inequality to be rife in the Australian music industry. Women represent only one-fifth of songwriters and composers registered with APRA, despite making up over 45% of all qualified musicians.

The first annual AWMA was staged in October 2018, with Helen Reddy as the inaugural inductee into their honour roll. A second event followed in 2019, adding Judith Durham as an inductee, but planned events in 2020 and 2021 were unfortunately cancelled due to the COVID pandemic. However, this year the AWMAs was back, bigger and better, with a well-received ceremony staged in the delightful Tivoli Theatre. The aims of this year’s event were not only to recognise the achievements and contributions of women across all areas of the Australian music industry, but to attempt to redress the under-representation of women in the sector, highlighting their value, achievements and contributions.