Imagine living someplace where a state government might give a prestigious award and a pile of cash to a hardcore band. People in Australia don’t have to imagine that; it’s a reality for them. Last year, the government of New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state, announced the annual New South Wales Music Prize, a Mercury/Polaris-style award that recognizes the NSW artist “whose release has had the most significant impact.” The award is part of a 10-point plan to assist musicians in the current difficult streaming era, and winners get $80,000. The Guardian reports that Sydney ass-kickers Speed have won the first-ever award.
In the past few months Speed toured the US with Turnstile and released their All My Angels EP. They’ve long been tireless advocates for their hometown scene and for hardcore in general. The band accepted the award in a ceremony at Sydney’s Museum Of Contemporary Art tonight. In a statement, Speed said:
Respectfully, our culture has never been a game nor a competition. But we are honoured to receive this recognition and see this as acknowledgment of the values cultivated by the passionate souls around us… In 2025, we have a whole new generation of amazing kids all over the country making Sydney and Australian hardcore the sickest it’s ever been. With that being said, this award belongs to them – the people around us who make it what it is – and we’ll take some time to think about the best way we can pay that forward to keep growing this the right way.
A couple of other artists also won significant sums of cash as part of the award. The young DJ and producer ninajirachi, one of our favorite new artists of the year, won the $40,000 prize for breakthrough artist of the year, while rapper Barkaa won a $40,000 prize in the First Nations music category. Both ninajirachi and Barkaa were nominated for the main New South Wales Music Prize, as were Rüfüs Du Sol, Party Dozen, Onefour, Shady Nasty, 3%, Kobie Dee, and Vv Pete with Utility.
