In spite of the challenges of 2020, SA Music Awards will return this November. Now's your chance to nominate your favourite South Australian songs, bands, artists and music-affiliated people and organisations.

It’s been a challenging year for the South Australian music industry (an understatement if ever we’ve made one), but all the more reason to come together to celebrate its strengths.

This is the sentiment we’re picking up from the South Australian Music Awards, which has just announced it will go ahead in 2020, holding a ceremony on Tuesday, 4 November.

As this godforsaken year twists and turns beyond anyone’s predictive capabilities, the SAM Awards have stated the nature of the awards ceremony will be confirmed at a later date and will comply with whatever COVID restrictions are applicable at the time.

However, submissions for the awards are open now, and you, dear music fan, can get your favourite artist by clicking here and filling out the form.

In the music categories, the work you’re nominating must have been commercially released between 1 August 2019 (simpler times) and 31 July 2020, and any band must be made up of at least 50 per cent South Australia-based musicians.

The categories you can submit to are Best Solo Artist, Best Group, Best Song, Best Release, Best New Artist, Best Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Artist, Best Major Festival/Event (over 1,000 attendees), Best Small Festival/Event (under 1,000 attendees), Best Manager, Best Music Venue, Best Studio, Best Studio Engineer/Producer, Best Live Technician, Best Cover Art, Best Music Video, Best Innovation Award and Best Music Educator.

With stages silent and audiences house-bound for most of this year, the music industry has shown incredible deftness in its response to a new operating reality – with new streaming platforms and digital events popping up, and pubs pivoting their gig delivery methods.

We’ve spoken with many sharp minds throughout the COVID crisis, all working incredibly hard to keep their industry from collapse, and so it’s with great pride CityMag will present the Best Innovation Award in its inaugural year.

The SAM Awards also announced its judging panel for 2020, with many South Australian luminaries appearing alongside national names.

The class of 2020 will be decided by Alex Karatassa (Five Four Entertainment), Beck Pearce (Office of Adelaide UNESCO City of Music), Declan Byrne (Triple J), Ed Noble (Sunny Side Uploads), Emily York (Penny Drop), Grant Gillies (Gaga Music), Grayson Rotumah (Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music), Hannah Fairlamb (Girls Rock! Adelaide), James Alberts (Jimblah), Kate Bailey (ABC Adelaide), Lewis Wundenberg (Wundenberg’s Recording and Rehearsal Studios), Maggie Collins (Morning Belle), Tam Boakes (Jive), Tyler Jenke (Rolling Stone) and Zane Dean (Fresh 92.7).

Further information on the SAM Awards ceremony will be released closer to the date – but you can get nominating now.

Find more information about the SAM Awards at its website. And to browse through the 2019 winners, see our rundown of the event here.