Australia’s biggest night in music is about to return for this year, with the 2025 ARIA Awards taking place tomorrow night at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion.
The nominees are announced, the artists are getting ready, and we have our guesses on who’s going home with the trophies.
The 39th ARIA Awards will celebrate the movers and shakers of Australian music with awards across 29 categories. By the big picture numbers, Ninajirachi leads with a record eight nominations, followed closely by fellow electronic artists RÜFÜS DU SOL and Dom Dolla.
Ahead of the ceremony, we’ve cemented our predictions for the winners of Album of the Year, Best Rock Album, Best Hard Rock / Heavy Metal Album, and Best Country Album.
Check out our predictions below, and check out the full list of nominations here.
Album of the Year
The Nominees
Amyl and the Sniffers – Cartoon Darkness
Missy Higgins – The Second Act
Ninajirachi – I Love My Computer
RÜFÜS DU SOL – Inhale / Exhale
Thelma Plum – I’m Sorry, Now Say It Back
Who Should Win
Ninajirachi — I Love My Computer
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Being the lead nominee at the ARIAs can so often be a poisoned chalice for an artist. With eight nominations to her name, it’s likely that Ninajirachi will win at least one award, but which one? For its dizzyingly innovative production and breakout acclaim, I Love My Computer should win her the main prize of the night. It’s that good.
Who Will Win
Amyl and the Sniffers — Cartoon Darkness
If Ninajirachi wasn’t in this category, Amyl and the Sniffers’ latest record would be the clear winner. Just look at its rave review on Rolling Stone AU/NZ, it earned it.
Best Rock Album presented by Tooheys
The Nominees
Amyl and the Sniffers – Cartoon Darkness
Ball Park Music – Like Love
King Stingray – For the Dreams
Royel Otis – hickey
Spacey Jane – If That Makes Sense
Who Should Win
Amyl and the Sniffers — Cartoon Darkness
Be serious: there’s only one winner in this category.
Who Will Win
Amyl and the Sniffers — Cartoon Darkness
See above.
Best Country Album
The Nominees
Dylan Wright – Half a World Away
Imogen Clark – Choking on Fuel
Kasey Chambers – Backbone
Keith Urban – High
Taylor Moss – Firecracker
Who Should Win
Kasey Chambers — Backbone
Almost four decades into her career, there’s just no slowing down Kasey Chambers. You wouldn’t know Backbone is her 13th album just by listening to it — she sounded as fresh and ambitious as ever on the record, which also earned a nomination at this year’s AIR Awards.
Who Will Win
Keith Urban — High
It’s been over a decade since Urban won an ARIA, probably too long a gap for a country icon who collected ARIAs on the regular during the ’00s. Expect him to rectify that this week.
Best Hard Rock / Heavy Metal Album
The Nominees
Civic – Chrome Dipped
Press Club – To All the Ones I Love
RedHook – Mutation
The Amity Affliction – Let the Ocean Take Me Down (Redux)
Thornhill – Bodies
Who Should Win
Civic — Chrome Dipped
Civic reached their peak (so far) on their third album, and a first ARIA win — for their first nomination — would be a fitting way to celebrate this achievement. The hard-working Melbourne punk band deserve the acclaim.
Who Will Win
Thornhill — Bodies
If voters don’t think that Civic have the necessary profile for an ARIA, Thornhill could sneak the win. Bodies, after all, was their second consecutive top 5-charting album in Australia, reaching No. 4 in April.
