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] To be eligible, the recording (an album or single) must have been commercially released.
The accolade is voted for by a judging school, which comprises between 40 and 100 members of representatives experienced in this genre, and is given to a solo artist, group, production team or various artist compilation, who is either from Australia or an Australian resident.
[3] The award for Best Dance Release was first presented to Itch-E and Scratch-E in 1995 for their single, "Sweetness and Light".
[4][5][6] In the following year Future Sound of Melbourne won the award for their album Chapter One.