Ninajirachi Wins 2026 NSW Music Prize

Ninajirachi keeps her hot streak intact by winning the second annual New South Wales Music Prize, Australia’s most lucrative music industry award.

The DJ and producer collected the top prize, which comes with an A$80,000 winner’s check, for I Love My Computer, her debut studio album from 2025.

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“So much of this music is about growing up on the Central Coast in NSW,” she remarked when her name was called out during a presentation at the Museum of Contemporary Art’s Foundation Hall in Sydney. “There are lyrics about getting the 64 bus home from school, there’s a lyric about it taking an hour to get from Kincumber to Gosford, and we shot some of the music videos in Copacabana and Avoca.”

She continued, “It means a lot for it to be honored in this way. This album has changed my life, thank you so much Sound NSW.”

Ninajirachi (real name: Nina Wilson) has been close-to-untouchable on the awards circuit in the past year. She dominated the 2026 AIR Awards, with five wins, snagged three ARIAs, the Australian Music Prize for album of the year, J Awards, the NSW Music Prize for breakthrough artist, and took out second place in the Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition.

With the NSW Music Prize, she has the full set.

Meanwhile, hip-hop group 3% took out the 2026 NSW First Nations music prize (A$40,000) for their singles “These Days,” “Running Through My Head,” and “Our Greats,” funding that “will not only support 3%’s next big moves but also give back to the people who have built this with us,” reads a statement from the act. “We started this project to speak truth, amplify the stories of our communities and inject a bit of Blak joy into the world – and we are so proud to be able to continue that journey with this support.”

ARIA Award winner BOY SODA collected NSW breakthrough artist of the year (A$40,000). “We all know the work ethic and the village required to make an artist’s career happen behind the scenes so to receive this award,” the R&B artist explained, “especially in a room of friends and peers was a special nod of the hat that I do not take lightly.”

The Minns Labor government is behind the initiative, launched last year to celebrate and inspire local musicians and give the music community a boost in a time of increasing competition from overseas artists via streaming platforms. Until 2025, NSW was the only state without a dedicated music prize.

This year’s prize categories were decided by a five-person judging panel, with the exception of the NSW First Nations music prize, which was chosen by a three-strong First Nations judging panel.

A total of 16 finalists were selected across three categories for the $160,000 prize pool. Read more here.

NSW Music Prize ($80,000)
BOY SODA – SOULSTAR
DON WEST – GIVE ME ALL YOUR LOVE
Esha Tewari – What Makes A Girl A Girl
Keli Holiday – Capital Fiction
MAY-A – Goodbye (If You Can Call That Gone)
Ninajirachi – I Love My Computer (WINNER)
Parcels – LOVED
SPEED – ALL MY ANGELS
The Rions – Everything Every Single Day
ZIPPORAH – Naungu Urui

NSW First Nations Music Prize ($40,000)
3% – These Days, Running Through My Head, Our Greats (WINNER)
KYARNA – Lost Soul Love Letters
ROX LAVI – Blah Blah about the Blah
THOM – Everything That Hurts Is Human
Velvet Trip – Glimmers Continued

NSW Breakthrough Artist of the Year ($40,000)
BOY SODA (WINNER)
Esha Tewari
Keli Holiday
RAGEFLOWER
Velvet Trip