The APRA Music Awards of 2020 are the 38th annual series, known as APRA Awards, in 2020. The awards are given in a series of categories in three divisions and in separate ceremonies throughout the year: the APRA Music Awards, Art Music Awards and Screen Music Awards. They are provided by the Australasian Performing Right Association and the Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society, known jointly as APRA AMCOS. In mid-February the associations announced that the previous category, Overseas Recognition Award, would be replaced by Global APRA Music Awards with separate ceremonies at three locations: Los Angeles (26 February 2020) for western North American-based artists, Nashville (1 March) for central and eastern North American-based artists and London (6 March) for European-based artists.^[1]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 APRA Music Awards were not held in the usual live format. The event had been due to take place on 28 April at the International Convention Centre in Sydney, instead they were streamed online for the first time as a virtual event on 25 May with Indigenous rapper, Briggs as host.^[2][3] The format featured presenters, winners and performances of the Song of the Year finalists.^[4] The nominees were announced on 7 April,^[5][6] winners for Most Performed International Work and Licensee of the Year were announced on 14 May,^[7] and the full list of winners was provided to media outlets on 25 May.^[2]

The Art Music Awards are provided by APRA AMCOS in conjunction with the Australian Music Centre (AMC), and in 2020 the ceremony was also a virtual event, held on 8 September, hosted by Zela Margossian, Dr Lou Bennett, Jonathan Biggins.^[8] They were presented with several new and redefined categories to "acknowledge the achievements of composers, performers and educators in the genres of contemporary classical music, jazz, improvisation, sound art and experimental music."^[8]

The Screen Music Awards are presented jointly by APRA AMCOS and the Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC), to "acknowledge excellence and innovation in the field of screen composition." Winners were announced on 1 December at a virtual ceremony and hosted by Justine Clarke, Claudia Karvan and Meyne Wyatt.^[9][10][11]

Presenters and performers

Indigenous rapper, Briggs, hosted the virtual APRA Music Awards of 2020 on 25 May.^[3] The musical director, Kate Miller-Heidke, curated the performers:^[12]

APRA Music Awards

Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year

Licensee of the Year

Most Performed Alternate Work

Most Performed Australian Work