It is handed out by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), an organisation whose aim is "to advance the interests of the Australian record industry.
"[2] Solo artists and groups are eligible if they are an Australian citizen, have resided in Australia for six months for two consecutive years prior to the awards, or signed to an Australian record label (if they have met the aforementioned criteria).
Only album recordings in the adult contemporary genre are eligible.
The nominees and winners are chosen by a judging academy which comprises 1000 members from different areas of the music industry.
[3] John Farnham is the most successful artist in this category with four wins from ten nominations (including collaborations) for Whispering Jack (1987), "Touch of Paradise" (1988), Romeo's Heart (1996) and The Last Time (2003).