[1] The ARIA Awards recognise "the many achievements of Aussie artists across all music genres",[2] and have been given by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) since 1987.
[3] Album recordings by a group or solo artist are eligible.
The award is handed out for an indigenous, ethnic, folk or cross-cultural recording, and cannot be entered into any other genre category.
The final nominees and winner are chosen by a judging school, which comprises between 40 and 100 members of representatives experienced in this genre.
[4][5] Oud virtuoso Joseph Tawadros has won the category seven times from eighteen nominations, Yolngu singer-songwriter-guitarist Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu won four times, while gypsy fusion band Monsieur Camembert have won the award three times.