The Sun Aria singing contest began in 1924 as a new segment of the annual contests conducted since 1891 by the South Street Society of Ballarat, Victoria. The prize, initially of 23 guineas, was for "an aria from Grand Opera, to be sung in English" presented by The Sun News-Pictorial, a Melbourne newspaper. A notable winner was Kiri Te Kanawa in 1965. The South Street Society became The Royal South Street Society in 1962, and continues to host the heats and semi-final of the annual Aria at Her Majesty's Theatre. The Sun News-Pictorial merged with the Melbourne Herald in 1990 to become the Herald Sun, with the Aria renamed the Herald Sun Aria from 1991. The Aria final, with five competitors and two adjudicators, is held at the Melbourne Recital Centre in Southbank. Many winners and finalists, including dramatic soprano Nicole Car, lyric tenor Henry Choo and bel canto soprano Helena Dix, have gone on to international careers. Victoria also has the Geelong Aria and Bendigo Aria awards. These are not affiliated with the Herald Sun Aria.
Year Winner 2ndorReserve Award 3rdorNotes 1924 Lawrence Power Morva Davies 1925 Pauline Gallagher 1926 Edward Hocking 1927 Arnold Matters 1928 Nance Marley Florence Erikson Sydney Holmes1929 May Craven 1930 Norman Menzies 1931 Adele McKay 1932 Emilie Hooke Nancy Studley Etta BernardJeanne Teychenne1933 Newstead Rush Beatrice Oakley Joan JonesWilliam Laird1934 Dennis Dowling Hinemoa Rosieur Alan Coad 1935 Nance Osborne 1936 Sylvia Fisher 1937 Joan Jones 1938 Alfredo Luizzi Mavis Webster Vera Hickenbotham1939 Mavis Webster 1940 Joyce Ross Frances Forbes Vera Hickenbotham1941 Amelia Scarce Kathleen Seabrook Frank LasslettPeggy Knibb1942–44 not held 1945 John Lanigan Jean Thompson Patricia Howard1946 Maxwell Cohen Morris Williams Patricia HowardRobert Simmons1947 Charles Skase Keith Neilson Nita Maughan1948 Mary Miller Joan Arnold Robert Simmons1949 Betna Pontin Joan Arnold Halinka de Tarczynska1950 David Allen Nina Foley 1951 Verona Cappadona Joyce Simmons 1952 Violet Harper Wilma Martin 1953 Lynette Kierce Jenifer EddyRobert Allman 1954 Cavell Armstrong Loris Elms * = "Reserve Award"1955 Leonard Delany Loris Sutton 1956 Loris Sutton Brian Hansford 1957 Brian Hansford June Barton 1958 Robert Bickerstaff Diana Munn 1959 Tello Siciliano June Barton 1960 June Barton Roslyn Dunbar 1961 Janice Hearne Patricia Connop 1962 Maureen Howard Patricia Wooldridge 1963 Raymond Myers Valerie Pennefather 1964 Malvina Major Imelda Fitzgerald 1965 Kiri Te Kanawa Robert Dawe 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 Carolyn Vaughn Frances Chambers 1973 Jonathan Summers 1974 1975 1976 Judith Henley 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 Christine Ferraro 1983 1984 Suzanne Ward 1985 Roger Lemke 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 Jason Wasley 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 Rachelle Durkin 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Nicole Car 2008 2009 John Longmuir 2010 Lee Abrahmsen 2011 Barbara Zavros 2012 Brenton Spiteri 2013 Stacey Alleaume 2014 Kathryn Radcliffe 2015 Fiona Jopson 2016 Panayiota Kalatzis 2017 Max Riebl 2018 Rebecca Rashleigh 2019 Georgia Wilkinson 2020 2021 Naomi Flatman 2022 Austin Haynes 2023 Rachael Joyce 2024 Felicity Tomkins
Other Sun Arias Sun Aria (Geelong) 'Comunn-na-Feinne is a Scots Gaelic association, founded in Geelong in 1856 The Sun-Pictorial sponsored an Aria Prize in conjunction with Geelong's festival in 1925 and subsequently. The last contest was in 1933.
Year Winner 2nd 3rd 1925 Arnold Ashworth William Cadzon Olwer MarshallMay Daley1926 William A. Bossence Maisie Ramsay Colin J. Thomson1927 Lorna Miller May Daley Florence Pryor1928 Marjorie Lawrence Alice Wells Ernest Wilson1929 Ernest Wilson not known1930 Florence Erikson Norman Menzies M. Cumming1931 Myra Hardenack Eulalie Moore Harold Murphy1932 Anne Harvey Charles E. Lomas Lola Edwards1933 Ailsa McKenzie John Dudley Rene CraigMary Lilley
Sun Aria (Bendigo) The newspaper offered similar prizes for the Bendigo musical, literary, and elocutionary competitions held in May 1925 and every year thereafter to 1936. Results 1925–1930 have not been found, despite looking everywhere .
Year Winner 2nd 3rd 1925–30 not known 1931 Kathleen Carroll Monica Miller Godfrey Beckwith1932 Margaret Butler Nance Osborne Joan JonesIris Turner1933 Jeanne Teychenne Charles E. Lomas William Howling1934 Margaret Black Lena WorlandGladys Richards 1935 Freda Northcote Molly Hislop Marion DanielsWilliam LairdMiss S Richards
Sun Aria (City of Sydney) The newspaper offered two prizes (female and male) from 1933 to 1941, none held 1942–1945 and a single prize thereafter. The contest became a section of the Sydney Eisteddfod in 1949. Notable prizewinners include Joan Sutherland in 1949 and June Gough, better known as June Bronhill, in 1950.
Year Winner Male /Notes Year Winner Male /Notes 1936 Catherine Williams Arthur Broadhurst 1937 not held1933 Ruby Zlotkowski Norman Barnes 1938 Mildred Walker Neville Beavis1934 Merle Ambler Robert Nicholson 1939 Marie Ryan Raymond Nilsson1935 Phyllis Thompson Colin Chapman 1940 Nancy Buchanan Hugh Godfrey1941 Edna McClelland Allan Ferris 1946 Rosina Raisbeck 1942 not held 1947 Eleanor Houston 1943 not held 1948 Florence Taylor 1944 not held 1949 Joan Sutherland 1945 not held 1950 June Gough aka June Bronhill1951 Angelina Arena 1956 Russell Cooper 1952 Marjorie Conley 1957 Kevin Mills 1953 Tessa Schell 1958 Heather McMillan 1954 Jean Brunning 1959 Elaine Blight 1955 Heather Begg 1960 Roslyn Dunbar 1961 Robert Colman 1966 1962 Valerie Morgan 1967 1963 Jan Bartlett 1968 1964 Pettine-Ann Croul 1969 1965 Serge Baigildin 1970
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