Folk-pop songstress Emily Wurramara has been honoured as Emerging Songwriter of the Year at the 2026 APRA Music Awards for her incredible body of work over the past year.
The winners of the APRA Music Awards were announced at a star-studded, centenary celebration event at Sydney's Hordern Pavilion on Wednesday evening.
The APRA Music Awards celebrate excellence in contemporary music, honouring songwriters and publishers who have achieved artistic excellence and outstanding success in their fields.
18 awards were presented across three distinct selection processes: Board Selected (among which Emerging Songwriter of the Year is a category), Most Performed (based on statistical analysis), and Peer Voted.
The awards were hosted by Julia Zemiro with guest presenters Bernard Fanning, Jessica Mauboy, Mark Coles Smith and Stella Donnelly, and music curated by François Tétaz.
The evening was the most elaborate yet, featuring special performances for APRA's centenary celebrations including an opening performance by Christine Anu, Ngulmiya and Rob Ruha. BARKAA also kicked things off with a bang with her electrifying rendition of Amyl and The Sniffers' "Jerkin'.
When speaking on her win, the talented artist took to social media, expressing her joy via an Instagram post.
"Thankyou @apraamcosfor this. Truly. I am honoured to be the FIRST Indigenous woman to receive this award in this category. She's a history maker," said Wurramara.
"The first song I ever heard and felt was probably my mother's heartbeat. The first song I understood was a song my great-grandfather sang to me called dhambal/Yuwani a song about the morning star, the devil dance.
"I started writing when I left Milyakburra and Groote Eylandt when I was 6 and a half years old to Meanjin. It was a big comfort for me.
"The first song I ever wrote was in a block of apartments in a suburb called Camp Hill in Brizzy, it was a song about missing home and missing country called 'over the sea'. Since then I have written songs on rooftops, boats, planes, trains, on an island full of oysters, in a cabin with monkeys jumping around on my roof, under waterfalls, rivers, even under the sea with sirens in my sleep."
Wurramara shared how her passion for music and songwriting goes far beyond performing.
"See, songwriting is more than words, it's storytelling, it's capturing feelings, creating worlds, casting spells, it's past, present, future it reflects the times and the moments, the truth, burns the lies, gives people hope, feel compassion, feel empathy, it inspires and empowers," she said.
"Songwriting is standing in your most vulnerable truth and honouring your honesty with integrity and pride, it's learning to let go of more than just your words.
"It is walking with courage to dig deep and pull out parts of you that make you wanna run and hide.
"This is more than just an emerging award for me, it's a solid nod that my truth is being heard, that my stories matter, that my people's stories matter. This is something that has been passed down from Generation to generation for over 65,000+ it is ancient. It is sacred. With that being said, I honour my ancestors with love and deep respect."
Wurramara sent out "a big thankyou" to "everyone who has supported me throughout the years, and continues to show up in this space".
"It can be damn hard being out there, but I don't give up, I push through because I know my community is the final boss," she said.
"I'm also honoured to have received this award in front of my Gagu @ngulmiya, love you Gagu made me so proud to see you on that stage. When one of us wins, we all do."
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