[2] The 2020 awards are set to "celebrate the resilience of the live music sector in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic".
More than 40 awards have been sidelined from 2019s event, in part due to the difficulties of recognising an industry that was unable to tour for half of the eligibility period.
Two new, permanent awards are being added to the event; the first, the finest work by Live Music Journalists in Australia and the second, Best International Tour, will award an Australian promoter for their work on an Australian tour, fronted by an International guest.
[1][3] In July 2020, founding board member Damian Cunningham said "The NLMAs is back to honour not only the fantastic artists and acts that have performed in Australia this year, but to shine a light on excellent the work done within the industry as response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
But as always, we have risen high and responded across the board, be it within TV or internet based concerts to drive-in style gigs.