Ecca Vandal Wins 2026 Australian Music Prize

Ecca Vandal was named the 2026 Australian Music Prize winner for her sophomore album Looking for People to Unfollow. The announcement on November 11 sees the Melbourne-based artist take home a A$50,000 prize. The award is the country's most prestigious honour for the album format, recognising artistic merit over commercial success.

Prize details and context

The Australian Music Prize, sponsored by SoundMerch, awards A$50,000 to its winner. Modeled on the U.K.'s Mercury Prize, the AMP launched in 2005. This year's 22nd edition saw support from the Australian Government through Music Australia and industry partners including JB Hi-Fi, Mushroom Music, Universal Music, and Sony Music. The inaugural prize in 2005 was awarded to The Drones.

Previous winners of the prize include Kankawa Nagarra (2024), RVG (2023), King Stingray (2022), Genesis Owusu (2021) and The Avalanches (2020). Other past recipients are Sampa the Great, Gurrumul, A.B. Original, Courtney Barnett, and Ninajirachi.

Shortlist and selection process

Vandal beat eight other shortlisted acts. An independent panel narrowed more than 600 eligible albums down to a final nine before selecting the winner. The 2026 judging panel included Ruby Gill, MudRat, Mick Turner of Bleak Squad, Mia Wray, and last year's winner Ninajirachi.

The full shortlist for the 2026 Australian Music Prize was:

AMP founder and Prize Director Scott B Murphy congratulated Vandal and acknowledged the strength of the shortlist. He stated that judges should prioritize originality, consistency across the album, and longevity. The 2026 ceremony also introduced the inaugural Prize Director’s Award, a $4,000 prize consisting of $2,000 cash and $2,000 in JB Hi-Fi gift vouchers, which went to Baker Boy for his album DJANDJAY.

Career highlights and recent activity

Ecca Vandal, born in South Africa of Sri Lankan heritage, is based in Melbourne. Her winning album, Looking for People to Unfollow, was released in May 2026 and marks her first album in nine years. It contains 17 tracks and draws on punk, hip-hop, hardcore, and electronic influences while exploring themes of social media, identity, and modern expectations. The album was largely created in a makeshift home studio in producer Richie Buxton's childhood bedroom.

2026 has been a landmark year for the artist. She performed at the Coachella festival in April, her first major U.S. festival appearance. She also made her U.S. television debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Spotify named her one of its Artists To Watch 2026, and Australia’s Triple J named Looking for People to Unfollow its feature album of the week.

She has received seven nominations for the upcoming 2026 ARIA Awards, including Album of the Year, Best Solo Artist, and Best Alternative Release. Her tour for the album includes sold-out dates in Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney. Vandal first attracted attention in 2014 with the single WHITE FLAG and has since toured internationally with acts like Limp Bizkit and Deftones.