The ARIA Music Award for Best Female Artist was an award presented at the annual ARIA Music Awards, which recognised "the many achievements of Aussie artists across all music genres", since 1987. It was handed out by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), an organisation whose aim is "to advance the interests of the Australian record industry."
To be eligible, the female artist had to meet one of the following criteria: be an Australian citizen; be born in Australia; be a permanent resident or have applied for permanent residency (having lived in Australia for at least six months for two consecutive years prior to the awards and signed to an Australian record label in the case of an applicant); if they are from New Zealand they must have lived in Australia for at least six months for two consecutive years prior to the awards and signed to an Australian record label.
The ARIA Award for Best Female Artist was given to a female artist who had a single or an album appear in the ARIA Top 100 Singles Chart during the eligibility period, and was voted for by a judging academy, which consisted of 1,000 members from different areas of the music industry.
The award for Best Female Artist was first presented to Jenny Morris in 1987. Wendy Matthews, Sia and Kasey Chambers hold the record for the most wins, with three each, followed by Morris, Kate Ceberano, Natalie Imbruglia, Missy Higgins and Kimbra, the only artist to win both her nominations, with two. Six of those artists won in two consecutive years; Morris in 1987 and 1988, Ceberano in 1989 and 1990, Matthews in 1993 and 1994, Imbruglia in 1998 and 1999, Kimbra in 2011 and 2012 and Sia in 2016 and 2017. Kylie Minogue has received 14 nominations, more than any other artist, winning one in 2001 for her album Light Years (2000). Ceberano and Matthews received separate nominations for the same album, You've Always Got the Blues, in 1989, with the former winning.
This and the ARIA Award for Best Male Artist were merged in 2021 to form a single award for Best Artist.This change was designed to ensure that the ARIA Awards reflect and embrace equality and the true diversity of the music industry in 2021. In making this change, the number of nominees for Best Artist will be ten.
Winners and nominees In the following table: the years in the "Year" column are listed as per the ARIA Award ceremony; in the "Winner" column the winner for that particular year is always listed first and highlighted in a separate colour, in boldface and with a double dagger (); the nominees are placed alphabetically beneath the winner and are not highlighted or in boldface; the "Album/single title" column lists the title of the album or single that the artist was nominated for (no reliable sources lists the works that Kate Ceberano, Sharon O'Neill and Shona Laing were nominated for in 1988).
+ Table key Indicates the winner
Year Winner Album/single title Ref. 1987(1st) Jenny Morris "You're Gonna Get Hurt" Jean StaffordBurning Bright Jo Kennedy The Pack of Women Renée Geyer Renée Live at the Basement Wendy Matthews "Dancing Daze" 1988(2nd) Jenny Morris Body and Soul 1988 ARIA Awards: Anne Kirkpatrick Come Back Again Kate Ceberano Sharon O'Neill Shona Laing 1989(3rd) Kate Ceberano You've Always Got the Blues Marcia Hines "The Lord's Prayer" Wendy Matthews You've Always Got the Blues Kylie Minogue Kylie Sharon O'Neill "We're Only Human" 1990(4th) Kate Ceberano Brave Robyne DunnLabour of LibertyGyan GyanKylie Minogue Enjoy YourselfJenny Morris Shiver 1991(5th) Wendy Matthews Émigré Kate Ceberano Like Now Grace Knight Come in Spinner Jenny Morris "Piece of My Heart" Margaret Urlich Safety in Numbers 1992(6th) Deborah Conway String of Pearls Jenny Morris Honeychild Kate Ceberano Think About It! Kylie Minogue Let's Get to It Wendy Matthews "Let's Kiss (Like Angels Do)" 1993(7th) Wendy Matthews Lily Deborah Conway "Release Me" Deni Hines "That Word (L.O.V.E.)" Kate Ceberano "I Don't Know How to Love Him" Margaret Urlich Chameleon Dreams 1994(8th) Wendy Matthews "Friday's Child" Anne Kirkpatrick Game of Love Deborah Conway Bitch Epic Kate Ceberano "You've Got a Friend" Margaret Urlich "Burnt Sienna" 1995(9th) Tina Arena Don't Ask Christine Anu Stylin Up Kylie Minogue Kylie Minogue Max Sharam A Million Year Girl Merril Bainbridge "Mouth" 1996(10th) Christine Anu "Come On" Deni Hines Imagination Kate Ceberano "Change" Max Sharam "Is It OK?/Huntinground" Tina Arena "Wasn't It Good" 1997(11th) Monique Brumby "Mary" Annie Crummer Seventh Wave Deni Hines "I'm Not in Love" Nikka Costa "Get Off My Sunshine" Wendy Matthews "Then I Walked Away" 1998(12th) Natalie Imbruglia Left of the Middle Kate Ceberano Pash Kylie Minogue Impossible Princess Monique Brumby Thylacine Tina Arena In Deep 1999(13th) Natalie Imbruglia "Wishing I Was There" Kasey Chambers The Captain Kylie Minogue "Cowboy Style" Lisa Miller As Far As Life Goes Suze DeMarchi Telelove 2000(14th) Kasey Chambers "The Captain" Christine Anu "Sunshine on a Rainy Day" Diana Ah Naid I Don't Think I'm Pregnant Kylie Minogue "Spinning Around" Vanessa Amorosi "Absolutely Everybody" 2001(15th) Kylie Minogue Light Years Christine Anu Come My Way Jodi Phillis In Dreams I Live Leah Haywood "Takin' Back What's Mine" Vanessa Amorosi The Power 2002(16th) Kasey Chambers Barricades & Brickwalls Holly Valance "Kiss Kiss" Kylie Minogue Fever Lisa Miller Car Tape Natalie Imbruglia White Lilies Island 2003(17th) Delta Goodrem Innocent Eyes Amiel Audio Out Kylie Minogue "Come into My World" Renée Geyer Tenderland Sarah Blasko Prelusive 2004(18th) Kasey Chambers Wayward Angel Delta Goodrem "Not Me, Not I" Kylie Minogue Body Language Lisa Miller Version Originale Missy Higgins "Scar" 2005(19th) Missy Higgins The Sound of White Kylie Minogue "I Believe in You" Mia Dyson Parking Lots Natalie Imbruglia Counting Down the Days Sarah Blasko The Overture & the Underscore 2006(20th) Clare Bowditch What Was Left Holly Throsby Under the Town Jade MacRae Jade MacRae Jen Cloher Dead Wood Falls Kasey Chambers "Nothing at All" 2007(21st) Missy Higgins On a Clear Night Kasey Chambers Carnival Kate Miller-Heidke Little Eve Katie Noonan "Time to Begin" Sarah Blasko What the Sea Wants, the Sea Will Have 2008(22nd) Gabriella Cilmi Lessons to Be Learned Clare Bowditch The Moon Looked On Holly Throsby A Loud Call Kylie Minogue X Missy Higgins "Peachy" 2009(23rd) Sarah Blasko As Day Follows Night Jessica Mauboy Been Waiting Kate Miller-Heidke Curiouser Ladyhawke Ladyhawke Lisa Mitchell Wonder 2010(24th) Washington I Believe You Liar Clare Bowditch Modern Day Addiction Kylie Minogue Aphrodite Lisa Mitchell "Oh! Hark!" Sia We Are Born 2011(25th) Kimbra "Cameo Lover" Adalita Adalita Clare Bowditch "Are You Ready Yet?" Kasey Chambers Little Bird Washington "Holy Moses" 2012(26th) Kimbra Vows Jessica Mauboy "Gotcha" Lanie Lane To the Horses Missy Higgins The Ol' Razzle Dazzle Washington Insomnia 2013(27th) Jessica Mauboy "To the End of the Earth" Abbe May Kiss My Apocalypse Emma Louise vs Head vs Heart Missy Higgins "Set Me on Fire" Sarah Blasko I Awake 2014(28th) Sia 1000 Forms of Fear Adalita All Day Venus Iggy Azalea The New Classic Jessica Mauboy Beautiful Kasey Chambers Bittersweet 2015(29th) Courtney Barnett Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit Jessica Mauboy "Can I Get a Moment?" Meg Mac MegMac EP Megan Washington There There Sia "Elastic Heart" 2016 Sia This Is Acting Delta Goodrem Wings of the Wild Jessica Mauboy "This Ain't Love" Montaigne Glorious Heights Sarah Blasko Eternal Return 2017 Sia "The Greatest" (featuring Kendrick Lamar) Amy Shark Night Thinker Jessica Mauboy The Secret Daughter (Songs from the Original TV Series) Julia Jacklin Don't Let the Kids Win Meg Mac Low Blows 2018 Amy Shark Love Monster Alison Wonderland Awake Courtney Barnett Tell Me How You Really Feel Sia "Flames" Tash Sultana Flow State 2019 Tones and I "Dance Monkey" Amy Shark "Mess Her Up" Jessica Mauboy "Little Things" Julia Jacklin Crushing Thelma Plum Better in Blak 2020 Sampa the Great The Return Amy Shark "Everybody Rise" Miiesha Nyaaringu Sia "Together" Tones and I "Bad Child"/"Can't Be Happy All the Time"
Multiple wins and nominations
The following individuals received two or more Best Female Artist awards: Wins Artist 3 Kasey Chambers Wendy Matthews Sia 2 Kate Ceberano Missy Higgins Natalie Imbruglia Kimbra Jenny Morris
The following individuals received two or more Best Female Artist nominations:
Nominations Artist 14 Kylie Minogue 9 Kate Ceberano 8 Kasey Chambers Jessica Mauboy 7 Wendy Matthews Sia 6 Sarah Blasko Missy Higgins 5 Jenny Morris 4 Christine Anu Clare Bowditch Natalie Imbruglia Amy Shark Megan Washington 3 Tina Arena Deborah Conway Delta Goodrem Deni Hines Lisa Miller Margaret Urlich 2 Adalita Vanessa AmorosiCourtney Barnett Monique Brumby Renée Geyer Kimbra Anne Kirkpatrick Meg Mac Kate Miller-Heidke Lisa Mitchell Sharon O'Neill Max Sharam Julia Jacklin Holly Throsby Tones and I
See also List of music awards honoring women
References
External links