by FilmInk Staff
Ayda Akbal, Cornel Wilczek, Jed Kurzel, Joff Bush and Megan Washington among the big winners on the night
The winners of the 2025 Screen Music Awards have been revealed at a glittering ceremony at Brisbane’s Fortitude Music Hall. Presented by APRA AMCOS and the Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC), the awards celebrate excellence and innovation in screen composition across 16 categories.
Melbourne-based composer, Cornel Wilczek, emerged as the night’s biggest winner, taking home two awards. He won Best Music for a Television Drama alongside 2024 Emerging Screen Composer of the Year winner, Alex Olijnyk, for Fake and Best Opening Title Television Theme with Thomas Rouch for the Netflix adaptation of the Jane Harper book, The Survivors.
Queensland talent shone brightly at the inaugural Brisbane edition of the awards, boasting three of the 16 winners. Beloved children’s screen composer, Joff Bush, took home the Most Performed Screen Composer – Overseas category for his work on the international TV juggernaut Bluey, which was the most-streamed show in the US in 2024. This marks his second win in the category following his 2023 triumph.
Fellow Queenslander, Megan Washington, was awarded Best Original Song Composed for the Screen for “Dream On” from How to Make Gravy, the film adaptation of Paul Kelly’s iconic Christmas song. The moment was made even more special for her with a surprise live performance by Electric Fields, who also performed the song in the film, accompanied by a choir led by Deline Briscoe.
Brisbane-based video game composer Cedar Jones won Best Music for a Video Game or Other Interactive Media for Feed the Deep, a category introduced in 2024.
Jed Kurzel continued his dominance in film scoring, winning Feature Film Score of the Year for the British period action-drama Tornado. This marks his fourth win in the category, following previous wins for Monkey Man (2024), Slow West (2015) and Snowtown (2011).
Longtime collaborators Adam Gock and Dinesh Wicks extended their remarkable streak, winning Most Performed Screen Composer – Australia for the 11th time, recognised for their work on Farmer Wants a Wife, LEGO Masters, MasterChef and Travel Guides.
A number of first-time winners were also celebrated. Rising talent Ayda Akbal was named Emerging Screen Composer of the Year, recognised for her distinctive voice and growing body of work. Akbal’s recent accolades include the 2023 Global Professional Development Award from the American Australian Association and selection for APRA AMCOS’s 23% Mentorship Program, affirming her as one of the most exciting new voices in screen composition.
Fellow first-time winner Finn Clarke took out Best Soundtrack Album forThe Raftsmen, a documentary about the extraordinary story of 12 men who crossed the ocean on wooden rafts.
Other winners on the night included Lance Gurisik for Best Music for an Advertisement for his work on Toyota CH-R Diamond; Iain Grandage and Josh Hogan’s score for Runt, which won Best Music for Children’s Programming; Helena Czajka took out Best Music for a Documentary for Yurlu l Country; Dale Cornelius won Best Music for a Short Film for his evocative score for The Way Home; Return to Paradise composers Antony Partos and Jackson Milas scored the Best Music for a Television Comedy; and Benjamin Speed won Best Music for Unscripted & Reality Television Series for Tony Armstrong’s Eat the Invaders.
Christopher Gordon, one of Australia’s most acclaimed screen composers, was honoured with the prestigious Distinguished Services to the Australian Screen award in recognition of his extraordinary body of work and enduring contribution to the screen music industry. The honour was presented by legendary director Bruce Beresford, with whom Gordon has collaborated on several acclaimed films including Ladies in Black and Mao’s Last Dancer. Their long-standing creative partnership has produced some of the most memorable and emotionally resonant scores in Australian cinema.
Icon of Australian stage and screen, David Wenham AM, hosted the awards alongside Mark Coles Smith and Nathalie Morris, with returning Music Director, Erkki Veltheim, leading a live orchestra performing selections from nominated works, bringing the screen to life on stage.
For further information, visit apraamcos.com.au/screenmusicawards2025.
| 2025 Screen Music Award winners: |
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| Best Music for an Advertisement |
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Toyota CH-R Diamond
Lance Gurisik
MassivePublishing |
|
| Best Music for Children’s Programming |
|
Runt
Iain Grandage / Josh Hogan |
|
| Best Music for a Documentary |
|
Yurlu | Country
Helena Czajka |
|
| Best Music for a Short Film |
|
The Way Home
Dale Cornelius
Concord Music Publishing ANZ |
|
| Best Music for a Television Comedy |
|
Return to Paradise (Season 1 Episode 1)
Jackson Milas / Antony Partos
Sonar Music |
|
| Best Music for a Television Drama |
|
Fake (Season 1 Episode 5)
Cornel Wilczek / Alex Olijnyk |
|
| Best Music for Unscripted & Reality Television Series |
|
Eat the Invaders
Benjamin Speed |
|
| Best Music for a Video Game or Other Interactive Media |
|
Feed the Deep
Cedar Jones |
|
| Best Opening Title Television Theme |
|
The Survivors
Thomas Rouch* / Cornel Wilczek
Concord Music Publishing ANZ* |
|
| Best Original Song Composed for the Screen |
|
“Dream On” from How to Make Gravy
Megan Washington
ORiGiN Music Publishing |
|
| Feature Film Score of the Year |
|
Tornado
Jed Kurzel
Syncredi Music |
|
| Emerging Screen Composer of the Year |
|
| Most Performed Screen Composer – Australia |
|
Adam Gock and Dinesh Wicks
Travel Guides, MasterChef, Farmer Wants A Wife, LEGO Masters |
|
| Most Performed Screen Composer – Overseas |
|
| Distinguished Services to the Australian Screen |
|
|
Photo: Joff Bush, by Cassidy Cloupet |
