Winner of the 22nd SoundMerch Australian Music Prize Announced!
Ecca Vandal Wins The 22nd SoundMerch Australian Music Prize with
LOOKING FOR PEOPLE TO UNFOLLOW
WINNER | NOMINEES | PAST WINNERS | JUDGES | LISTEN TO LOOKING FOR PEOPLE TO UNFOLLOW
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA: The winner of the 22nd SoundMerch Australian Music Prize has been announced with Ecca Vandal taking out the top prize for the album LOOKING FOR PEOPLE TO UNFOLLOW. Ecca Vandal takes home a $50,000 prize courtesy of principal partner SoundMerch. The AMP is Australia’s most prestigious music award recognising outstanding Australian albums selected by an independent judging panel.
“Wow, this is such an incredible honour. To be recognised alongside so many amazing Australian artists means the world to me. Richie and I made this album together in his childhood bedroom, pouring everything we had into it, so to receive an award like this is honestly beyond anything we could have imagined. Thank you to the Australian Music Prize, the judges, and everyone who has supported us and believed in this record. We’re incredibly grateful, and it means so much to have our music recognised in this way.”
Ecca Vandal – Winner, the 22nd AMP
Ecca Vandal joins previous winners including Kankawa Nagarra (2024), RVG (2023), King Stingray (2022), Genesis Owusu (2021) and The Avalanches (2020). This year, more than 600 albums were reviewed, with nine shortlisted for the coveted prize with the final shortlisted albums including:
Ecca Vandal – LOOKING FOR PEOPLE TO UNFOLLOW – WINNER
Baker Boy – DJANDJAY
Courtney Barnett – Creature Of Habit
Genesis Owusu – REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE
Georgia Knight – Beanpole
Grace Cummings – Bloodhorse!
Julia Jacklin – The Gem
Karnivool – In Verses
Swapmeet – Mount Zero
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Last year’s winner, Ninajirachi, received The AMP for her acclaimed debut album I Love My Computer. This year, she joined the judging panel alongside returning past nominees Ruby Gill, MudRat, Mick Turner of Bleak Squad and Mia Wray, helping select the artist who would follow in her footsteps.
LOOKING FOR PEOPLE TO UNFOLLOW is the explosive second album from Melbourne-based artist Ecca Vandal, blending punk rock, hip-hop, hardcore and electronic music across 17 tracks. Released in May 2026, the album marks her return after a nine-year break between albums, featuring standout tracks CRUISING TO SELF SOOTHE, SORRY! CRASH!, BLEED BUT NEVER DIE and MOLLY. Recorded largely in a makeshift home studio with longtime collaborator Richie Buxton, the album explores identity, independence and self-expression, challenging the pressures of social media and modern expectations.
Born in South Africa to Sri Lankan Tamil parents and raised in Melbourne, Ecca Vandal first emerged on the Australian music scene in 2014 with her debut single White Flag. Since then, she has toured internationally with artists including Limp Bizkit and Deftones, and performed at Coachella in 2026. With seven nominations at the upcoming 2026 ARIA Awards, including Album of the Year, Best Solo Artist and Best Alternative Release, Ecca Vandal can now add winner of the 22nd SoundMerch Australian Music Prize to her growing list of accolades.
“Congratulations Ecca Vandal, you’ve been chosen from 600 albums reviewed by our judges, that’s huge – and well deserved. Many times a judge of late has told me how strong all 9 Shortlisted albums are… and how hard it’s going to be to choose a winner. I thank each of them so much for undertaking a very challenging job and doing so with such passion.”
Scott B Murphy, Founder/Prize Director
The AMP operates through a rigorous three-stage judging process involving established musicians, music retailers and music media. In Stage One, judges listen to randomly assigned eligible albums in full and disclose any personal or business connections to the artists. In Stage Two, the panel considers the nominated albums and works with the Prize Director to determine the nine-album Shortlist. In the final stage, judges meet face-to-face to deliberate and select the winner.
Inspired by the UK’s Mercury Prize, The AMP was established in 2005 to discover, reward and promote Australian music of excellence. The inaugural Prize was awarded to The Drones for Wait Long by the River and the Bodies of Your Enemies Will Float By. Past winners include The Avalanches, Ninajirachi, Hermitude, The Jezabels, Genesis Owusu and Courtney Barnett.
The list of albums nominated for this 22nd prize can be found here
The winner will be officially announced tonight at the Awards Ceremony
The event also hosted the announcement of the inaugural ‘Prize Director’s Award’ in partnership with JB Hi Fi. The award comes with $4,000 ($2,000 in cash and $2,000 worth of JB Hi Fi gift vouchers) and was awarded by the Prize Director to Baker Boy.
Scott B Murphy commented at the event “Each year when I appoint new judges, they want direction. I tell them it’s totally up to you as to what makes a great album, but there are three things that should have priority during the process: 1, originality; 2, the album should be great from beginning to end and not just great because of 2 or 3 great tracks; and 3, that you should be choosing albums that you know you’ll want to listen to in five years’ time – and beyond. I’m sure all 9 Shortlisted albums are these 3 things for more than one judge, but for me, as Prize Director, it’s Baker Boy’s album.”
The AMP is generously supported by music industry partners including JB Hi-Fi, Mushroom Music, Universal and Sony, with Rocket and Disco joining as new industry partners this year. SoundMerch returns as principal partner, providing the winning artist with the $50,000 cash prize. The AMP is also assisted by the Australian Governmentthrough Music Australia, supporting its work in bringing outstanding Australian music to growing audiences.
The 22nd SoundMerch Australian Music Prize is in partnership with SoundMerch and supported by the Australian Government through Music Australia.
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