# AIR Awards of 2020

The 2020 AIR Awards was the fourteenth annual Australian Independent Record Labels Association Music Awards ceremony (generally known as the AIR Awards). It took place on 1 October 2020 in Adelaide.
The nominations were revealed on 7 July 2020, consisting of sixteen categories, up four from twelve, as was the case in 2019. The four new categories were: Best Independent Pop Album or EP, Best Independent Rock Album or EP, Best Independent Children's Album or EP, and Best Independent Soul/R&B Album or EP. The award for Best Independent Hard Rock, Heavy or Punk Album was split in two, recognising Punk and Heavy separately. For the first time, the ceremony didn't include the Best Independent Artist category.

## Performers

* Stella Donnelly
* The Teskey Brothers
* Angie McMahon
* The Soul Movers

## Nominees and winners
### AIR Awards

Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface; other final nominees are listed alphabetically.
| Independent Album of the Year | Independent Song of the Year |
| Stella Donnelly – Beware of the Dogs Ainslie Wills – All You Have Is All You Need Julia Jacklin – Crushing Sampa The Great – The Return The Teskey Brothers – Run Home Slow | Tones and I – "Dance Monkey" Ainslie Wills – "Fear of Missing Out" Dom Dolla – "San Frandisco" Julia Jacklin – "Don't Know How to Keep Loving You" Sampa The Great – "Final Form" |
| Breakthrough Independent Artist of the Year | Best Independent Blues and Roots Album or EP |
| Tones and I Angie McMahon Carla Geneve Stella Donnelly Vlossom | Julia Jacklin – Crushing Bobby Alu – Flow Dyson Stringer Cloher – Dyson Stringer Cloher Paul Kelly – Live at the Sydney Opera House The Teskey Brothers – Run Home Slow |
| Best Independent Children's Album or EP | Best Independent Classical Album or EP |
| Regurgitator's Pogogo Show – The Really Really Really Really Boring Album Hillsong Kids – Songs of Some Silliness Pevan & Sarah – Be Kind The Vegetable Plot – Season Two The Wiggles – Party Time! | Richard Tognetti & Erin Helyard – Beethoven & Mozart Violin Sonatas Amy Dickson – In Circles Joseph Tawadros – Betrayal of a Sacred Sunflower Katie Noonan and Australian String Quartet – The Glad Tomorrow Stuart Skelton, West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Asher Fisch – Tristan Und Isolde |
| Best Independent Country Album or EP | Best Independent Dance or Electronica Album or EP |
| Charlie Collins – Snowpine Cool Sounds – More to Enjoy Felicity Urquhart – Frozen Rabbit Lee Kernaghan – Backroad Nation Lucky Oceans – Purple Sky | The Jungle Giants – "Heavy Hearted" (1,2,3,4am remixes) Flume – Hi This Is Flume Hermitude – Pollyanarchy Huntly – Low Grade Buzz Sui Zhen – Losing, Linda' |
| Best Independent Dance, Electronica or Club Single | Best Independent Heavy Album or EP |
| Dom Dolla - "San Frandisco" Confidence Man – "Does It Make You Feel Good?" Flume featuring Vera Blue – "Rushing Back" Haiku Hands – "Dare You Not to Dance" PNAU – "Solid Gold" | Northlane – Alien Alpha Wolf – Fault Ocean Sleeper – Don't Leave Me This Way Superheist – Sidewinder Thornhill – The Dark Pool |
| Best Independent Hip Hop Album or EP | Best Independent Jazz Album or EP |
| Sampa the Great – The Return Allday – Starry Night Over the Phone Horrorshow – New Normal Shadow – Cream Tasman Keith & Stevie Jean – Evenings | Kate Ceberano and Paul Grabowsky – Tryst Angela Davis – Little Did They Know Joe Chindamo – Arias Mike Nock, Hamish Stuart, Julien Wilson & Jonathan Zwartz – This World Phil Slater – The Dark Pattern |
| Best Independent Pop Album or EP | Best Independent Punk Album or EP |
| Stella Donnelly – Beware of the Dogs Cub Sport – Cub Sport G Flip – About Us Jack River – Sugar Mountain Tones and I – The Kids Are Coming | DZ Deathrays – Positive Rising: Part 1 Ausmuteants – ...Present The World in Handcuffs Dear Seattle – Don't Let Go The Gooch Palms – III Hexdebt – Rule of Four |
| Best Independent Rock Album or EP | Best Independent Soul/R&B Album or EP |
| Angie McMahon – Salt Bad//Dreems – Doomsday Ballet Jess Ribeiro – Love Hate Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Ghosteen Pond – Tasmania | Caiti Baker – The Dust (Pt. 1) Jordan Rakei – Origin Laneous – Monstera Deliciosa The Soul Movers – Bona Fide Tiana Khasi – Meghalaya |
| Best Independent Label | 2020 Outstanding Achievement Award |
| ABC Music | Emily Ulman |