# Helpmann Award for Best Opera

The Helpmann Award for Best Opera is an award presented by Live Performance Australia (LPA), the "peak body for Australia’s live entertainment and performing arts industry". It has been handed out since 2001 at the annual Helpmann Awards, which "recognise distinguished artistic achievement and excellence in the many disciplines of Australia's vibrant live performance sectors". The award is presented to the producer of an opera, that is first performed in Australia during the eligibility period.

## Winners and nominees

| Year | Title | Production company(ies) |
| 2001 (1st) |
| 2001 (1st) | The Eighth Wonder | Opera Australia |
| 2001 (1st) | Così fan tutte | Opera Queensland |
| 2001 (1st) | Wozzeck | Opera Australia |
| 2001 (1st) | Writing to Vermeer | Adelaide Festival Corporation |
| 2002 (2nd) |
| 2002 (2nd) | Batavia | Opera Australia and Melbourne Festival |
| 2002 (2nd) | L'elisir d'amore | Opera Australia |
| 2002 (2nd) | Parsifal | State Opera of South Australia |
| 2002 (2nd) | The Fiery Angel (The Kirov Opera) | Melbourne Festival |
| 2003 (3rd) |
| 2003 (3rd) | Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District | Opera Australia |
| 2003 (3rd) | Love in the Age of Therapy | Sydney Festival and Oz Opera in association with Melbourne Festival and Victorian Arts Centre Trust |
| 2003 (3rd) | The Marriage of Figaro | Opera Australia |
| 2003 (3rd) | Il trovatore | West Australian Opera, State Opera of South Australia and Opera Queensland |
| 2004 (4th) |
| 2004 (4th) | Dead Man Walking | State Opera of South Australia |
| 2004 (4th) | Otello | Opera Australia |
| 2005 (5th) |
| 2005 (5th) | The Ring Cycle | State Opera of South Australia |
| 2005 (5th) | The Love for Three Oranges | Opera Australia |
| 2005 (5th) | Madeline Lee | Opera Australia |
| 2005 (5th) | Der Rosenkavalier | Opera Australia |
| 2006 (6th) |
| 2006 (6th) | Flight | Adelaide Festival of Arts, Glyndebourne Festival Opera and State Opera of South Australia |
| 2006 (6th) | La bohème | The Opera Conference |
| 2006 (6th) | The Magic Flute | State Theatre Company of South Australia |
| 2006 (6th) | Romeo and Juliet | Opera Australia |
| 2007 (7th) |
| 2007 (7th) | Rusalka | Opera Australia |
| 2007 (7th) | Alcina | Opera Australia |
| 2007 (7th) | Satyagraha | State Opera of South Australia, Leigh Warren & Dancers and The Adelaide Vocal Project |
| 2007 (7th) | The Love of the Nightingale | West Australian Opera, UWA Perth International Arts Festival, Opera Queensland and Queensland Music Festival |
| 2008 (8th) |
| 2008 (8th) | Arabella | Opera Australia |
| 2008 (8th) | Les contes d'Hoffmann | Opera Australia |
| 2008 (8th) | Dead Man Walking | Andrew McManus Presents and Alexander Productions |
| 2008 (8th) | Little Women | State Opera of South Australia and State Theatre Company of South Australia |
| 2009 (9th) |
| 2009 (9th) | Billy Budd | Opera Australia |
| 2009 (9th) | The Coronation of Poppea | Victorian Opera |
| 2009 (9th) | The Navigator | Brisbane Festival 2008 and Melbourne International Arts Festival |
| 2009 (9th) | Aida | West Australian Opera |
| 2010 (10th) |
| 2010 (10th) | Peter Grimes | Opera Australia |
| 2010 (10th) | Bliss | Opera Australia |
| 2010 (10th) | Le Grand Macabre | Adelaide Festival in association with State Opera of South Australia |
| 2010 (10th) | King Lear | 10 Days on the Island |
| 2011 (11th) |
| 2011 (11th) | Partenope | Opera Australia |
| 2011 (11th) | La fanciulla del West | Opera Australia |
| 2011 (11th) | The Threepenny Opera | Malthouse Theatre and Victorian Opera |
| 2011 (11th) | María de Buenos Aires | State Opera of South Australia and Leigh Warren & Dancers |
| 2012 (12th) |
| 2012 (12th) | Moby-Dick | State Opera of South Australia |
| 2012 (12th) | The Barbarians | MONA FOMA and IHOS Opera |
| 2012 (12th) | The Rake's Progress | Victorian Opera |
| 2012 (12th) | Elektra | West Australian Opera, ThinIce, Perth International Arts Festival and Opera Australia |
| 2013 (13th) |
| 2013 (13th) | Salome | Opera Australia |
| 2013 (13th) | L'isola disabitata | Hobart Baroque and Royal Opera House |
| 2013 (13th) | Die tote Stadt | Opera Australia |
| 2013 (13th) | Un ballo in maschera | Opera Australia |
| 2014 (14th) |
| 2014 (14th) | Melbourne Ring Cycle | Opera Australia |
| 2014 (14th) | La Traviata | State Opera of South Australia, New Zealand Opera, Opera Queensland |
| 2014 (14th) | Nixon in China | Victorian Opera |
| 2014 (14th) | The Turk in Italy | Opera Australia |
| 2015 (15th) |
| 2015 (15th) | Faramondo | Brisbane Baroque in association with QPAC |
| 2015 (15th) | Faust | Opera Australia in association with The Opera Conference |
| 2015 (15th) | Madama Butterfly | English National Opera, Metropolitan Opera and Lithuanian National Opera in association with West Australian Opera and Perth International Arts Festival |
| 2015 (15th) | Philip Glass Trilogy | State Opera of South Australia |
| 2016 (16th) |
| 2016 (16th) | Agrippina | Brisbane Baroque in association with QPAC |
| 2016 (16th) | Fly Away Peter | Arts Centre Melbourne and Sydney Chamber Opera in association with Melbourne Festival |
| 2016 (16th) | Luisa Miller | Opera Australia |
| 2016 (16th) | The Marriage of Figaro | Opera Australia |
| 2017 (17th) |
| 2017 (17th) | Saul | Glyndebourne Festival Opera and Adelaide Festival in association with the State Opera of South Australia, the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and the Adelaide Festival Centre |
| 2017 (17th) | Cavalleria Rusticana & I Pagliacci | Opera Australia |
| 2017 (17th) | Così fan tutte | Opera Australia |
| 2017 (17th) | King Roger | Opera Australia |
| 2018 (18th) |
| 2018 (18th) | Hamlet | Glyndebourne Festival, Adelaide Festival, State Opera of South Australia and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra |
| 2018 (18th) | The Nose | Opera Australia |
| 2018 (18th) | Cunning Little Vixen | Victorian Opera |
| 2018 (18th) | Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets | Malthouse Theatre and Victorian Opera |
| 2019 (19th) |
| 2019 (19th) | Komische Oper Berlin's The Magic Flute | Arts Projects Australia, Adelaide Festival and Perth Festival |
| 2019 (19th) | Wozzeck | Opera Australia |
| 2019 (19th) | Metamorphosis | Opera Australia |
| 2019 (19th) | Artaserse | Pinchgut Opera |