All eligible songs must be written by an APRA member and released in the preceding calendar year for consideration.

The Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music' is decided by APRA's Board of Writer and Publisher Directors for a lifetime contribution.

The AMC had been presenting annual awards for classical music since 1988, apart from a 1993–1995 hiatus due to funding cuts.

This award has been won by well-known composers including Brenton Broadstock, Brett Dean, Ross Edwards, Georges Lentz, Liza Lim, Richard Mills, and Peter Sculthorpe.

After another hiatus in 2010, the event returned as the Art Music Awards the following year, restructured and with two new categories.

The ceremony, held in November, acknowledges excellence and innovation in the field of screen composition, and as of 2019[update] covers 13 categories.

She won triple j Unearthed's NIMAs competition, giving her the opportunity to play at the National Indigenous Music Awards in 2021.

[13] In 2023, Indigenous hip hop band from the APY lands, DEM MOB, won the award.