Terms & Conditions

1. General

a. Organisation

MusicNT Incorporated organises and produces the NT Music Awards, an annual competition, promoting the talents of songwriters, venues and festivals resident in the Northern Territory, inviting writers to submit recordings of original musical compositions. NT Music Awards aims to reveal, promote and support Northern Territory songwriters across many genres and facilitate career opportunities as well as recognising venues, festivals and production crew that support the NT music sector.

b. Independence

Judging of submissions, and selection of category nominees and winners, is undertaken by a judging panel completely independent of MusicNT. Absolutely no MusicNT staff are involved in this process.

c. Acceptance

Participation in the NT Music Awards implies complete acceptance of the present Terms and Conditions, the renunciation of any recourse concerning the conditions of organisation and the running of the event, its results and the attribution of prizes as well as the decision of the jury, which will be final and without appeal.

d. Entry Submissions

  • Songs must have been released between the 1/1/2024 and the 31/12/2024 to be eligible for the 2025 NT Music Awards.
  • Entrants must currently reside in the NT or have been NT residents at the time of their work’s creation or, if you have recently relocated, you must have been a resident of the NT at the time of your work’s creation.
  • Songs and photographic entries must be original works and not infringe upon any copyrights.
  • Songwriters grant MusicNT a non-exclusive license to use submitted songs for promotional purposes related to the NT Music Awards.
  • Entries conflicting with sponsorship obligations will not be considered.
  • Copyrights remain with the songwriters.
  • MusicNT is not liable for copyright infringements.
  • Previously entered songs from past NT Music Awards are ineligible.
  • Instrumental music may be entered into all categories but must be clearly indicated by writing “Instrumental” in the lyrics section on the online form.
  • Entry fees are non-refundable.
  • The Northern Territory Music Awards is a song writing and photography competition. Therefore, the songwriters and photographers will be credited as the finalists/winners. In the case of all members of a band being the songwriters, the band name will be credited as the finalists/winners.

e. Judging

  • Judging panels consist of music industry professionals across Australia.
  • Four nominees and a winner are selected for each category.
  • The NT Song of The Year is selected from category finalists by an independent panel.
  • All decisions are final; no correspondence will be entered into.
  • Finalists will be notified via email on Friday, June 6, 2025.
  • Finalists must provide a photo and bio for promotions.
  • The awards ceremony will be held on Friday, June 27, 2025

f. Award Categories

  • NT Song of The Year
  • People's Choice Song of the Year
  • Country
  • Pop
  • Youth (Under 25 years old)
  • Rock
  • Metal/Hardcore
  • Blues & Roots
  • Urban/Hip Hop
  • Electronic/Dance
  • Folk
  • All Good Project Venue of The Year
  • Metro Festival of The Year
  • Regional Festival of The Year
  • Hot Shots Best Photograph - Portrait
  • Hot Shots Best Photograph - Live Shot
  • Hot Shots - People's Choice

2. How To Enter

  • Entries open: Thursday, April 10, 2025
  • Entries close: 23:59 (ACST), Monday, May 12, 2025
  • Submissions via online form at NT Music Awards
  • Each song submission must include lyrics (or "INSTRUMENTAL" if applicable).
  • Songs in languages other than English should include an English translation if possible.
  • All songwriters must be clearly listed on the entry form.
  • If streaming links are unavailable, song files must be in MP3 format and under 6MB
  • Songs may only be entered into one genre category (Please note Youth is not considered a genre).
  • Payment is required upon submission and is non-refundable.
  • In-person payments can be made at MusicNT offices in Alice Springs or Darwin.
  • MusicNT is not responsible for late, lost, or misdirected submissions.
  • Recordings and lyrics will not be returned.

3. Cost of Entry

$15 for up to three songs; $15 each additional song (includes GST).

4. Winner Agreement

  • All category winners agree to have their winning entry included on various websites.
  • MusicNT may use winners’ names and images for promotional purposes.
  • Winners will be announced at the 2025 Northern Territory Music Awards on Friday, June 27, 2025

5. Hot Shots Photograph - Registration Guidelines & Terms

Eligibility

  • Subjects/locations must be from the NT
  • Eligible: NT act performing anywhere
  • Ineligible: non-NT act performing outside NT

Formats

  • Accepted: JPG, JPEG or PNG (max 5MB)
  • Please provide a high resolution image. Minimum 3840 x 2160 pixels for Landscape and 2160 x 3840 pixels for Portrait.

File Naming Format

  • Lastname_Initial_ImageTitle.jpg (For Example: Citizen_J_CrowdShot.jpg)

Other Notes

  • Photos can be from any year but must not have been submitted before
  • Max 6 images per entrant

Categories

  • Best Photograph - Live Shot (Performance Images)
  • Best Photograph - Portrait (Artist or Band Portraits)

Terms

  • Entrants must reside or have resided in the NT when photo was taken
  • Entries due by 23:59, Monday, May 12, 2025
  • Images may be exhibited or used for promotion
  • Photographers will be credited
  • Winners announced at NT Music Awards on June 27, 2025
  • MusicNT pays for printing; prints remain MusicNT property
  • MusicNT not liable for loss/damage
  • Entrants confirm original work and subject permission

6. Event Promotion

  • Award trophy at the ceremony
  • Artist profiles on NT Music Awards and MusicNT websites

7. Entrant Agreement

By entering, entrants acknowledge and accept these terms and conditions.

For further inquiries: