Gold Coast artist Amy Shark has dominated the 2018 Australian Recording Industry Association awards (Arias) nominations, and will be vying for nine awards all up – with Melbourne’s Courtney Barnett following close behind with eight.

It has been a huge few years for Shark, who spent the better part of a decade making music before her breakout hit Adore got its first spin on Triple J in 2016. Like Barnett, she has since become a favourite of the talkshow circuit in the US, where she is currently on tour before a series of festival slots back in Australia and a full European tour through January.

Shark will be up against Barnett in four categories: album of the year, best female artist, best video and best live act. Barnett, who won four Arias for her 2015 debut album, is also nominated for best song, best rock release and best independent release, along with best adult contemporary album for her Kurt Vile collaboration, Lotta Sea Lice.

Held in Sydney on Thursday morning, the nominations event also doubled as a pre-ceremony, where the winners of the artisan, fine arts and comedy awards were announced.

Shark’s song I Said Hi took out the best producer category for Dann Hume and M-Phazes, and Barnett’s album Tell Me How You Really Feel won best engineer for Burke Reid.

Gurrumul, meanwhile, was nominated in seven categories and won posthumously in two: best world music album and best cover art for his album Djarimirri (Child of the Rainbow).

Bridie and Wyatt, from the recently cancelled Tonightly with Tom Ballard, won best comedy release for their upbeat rape culture jam, Sex Pest.

The 2018 Aria awards are industry judged (with the exception of four public-voted categories); the ceremony will be broadcast on Nine on Wednesday 28 November, hosted by Keith Urban.

2018 Aria award nominations

Album of the year:
Amy Shark – Love Monster
Courtney Barnett – Tell Me How You Really Feel
Gurrumul – Djarimirri (Child of the Rainbow)
Pnau – Changa
Troye Sivan – Bloom

Best female artist:
Alison Wonderland – Awake
Amy Shark – Love Monster
Courtney Barnett – Tell Me How You Really Feel
Sia – Flames
Tash Sultana – Flow State

Best male artist:
Dan Sultan – Killer Under a Blood Moon
Dean Lewis – Be Alright
Gurrumul – Djarimirri (Child of the Rainbow)
Troye Sivan – Bloom
Vance Joy – Nation Of Two

Best dance release:
Alison Wonderland – Awake
Fisher – Losing It
Peking Duk – Fire
Pnau – Go Bang
Rüfüs Du Sol – No Place

Best group:
5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
DMA’S – For Now
Peking Duk – Fire
Pnau – Go Bang
Rüfüs Du Sol – No Place

Breakthrough artist:
Alex Lahey – I Love You Like a Brother
Jack River – Sugar Mountain
Mojo Juju – Native Tongue
Odette – To a Stranger
Ruel – Dazed & Confused

Best pop release:
5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
Amy Shark – Love Monster
Dean Lewis – Be Alright
Jack River – Sugar Mountain
Troye Sivan – Bloom

Best urban album:
360 – Vintage Modern
Esoterik – My Astral Plane
Hilltop Hoods – Clark Griswold (feat. Adrian Eagle)
Kerser – Engraved In The Game
Mojo Juju – Native Tongue

Best independent release:
Angus & Julia Stone – Snow
Courtney Barnett – Tell Me How You Really Feel
DMA’S – For Now
Gurrumul – Djarimirri (Child of the Rainbow)
Pnau – Go Bang

Best rock album:
Camp Cope – How To Socialise and Make Friends
Courtney Barnett – Tell Me How You Really Feel
DMA’S – For Now
Luca Brasi – Stay
Middle Kids – Lost Friends

Best adult contemporary album:
Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile – Lotta Sea Lice
Dan Sultan – Killer Under a Blood Moon
Missy Higgins – Solastalgia
Odette – To A Stranger
Vance Joy – Nation of Two

Best country album:
Adam Eckersley & Brooke McClymont – Adam & Brooke
Fanny Lumsden – Real Class Act
Kasey Chambers & the Fireside Disciples – Campfire
The Wolfe Brothers – Country Heart
Travis Collins – Brave & the Broken

Best hard rock/heavy metal album:
DZ Deathrays – Bloody Lovely
King Parrot – Ugly Produce
Parkway Drive – Reverence
Polaris – The Mortal Coil
West Thebarton – Different Beings Being Different

Best blues & roots album:
Angus & Julia Stone – Snow
Emily Wurramara – Milyakburra
Mama Kin Spender – Golden Magnetic
Ruby Boots – Don’t Talk About It
Tash Sultana – Flow State

Best original soundtrack or musical theatre cast album:
Evelyn Ida Morris – Acute Misfortune
Jessica Mauboy – The Secret Daughter Season Two
Jimmy Barnes – Working Class Boy: The Soundtracks
Liars – 1/1
Various Artists – Muriel’s Wedding: The Musical

Best children’s album:
Justine Clarke – The Justine Clarke Show!
Lah-Lah – 10th Birthday Party
Sam Moran – Santa’s Coming!
Teeny Tiny Stevies – Helpful Songs For Little People
The Wiggles – Wiggle Pop!

Best song (public voted):
5 Seconds Of Summer – Youngblood
Amy Shark – I Said Hi
Angus & Julia Stone – Chateau
Conrad Sewell – Healing Hands
Dean Lewis – Be Alright
Peking Duk – Fire/Reprisal
Pnau – Go Bang
Sheppard – Coming Home
Troye Sivan – My My My!
Vance Joy – Lay It On Me

Best video (public voted):
Amy Shark – I Said Hi
Client Liaison – Survival in the City
Courtney Barnett – Need a Little Time
Dean Lewis – Be Alright
Gang of Youths – The Heart is a Muscle
Mojo Juju – Native Tongue
Peking Duk – Fire
Pnau – Go Bang
Tash Sultana – Salvation
The Presets – Do What You Want

Best Australian live act:
5 Seconds Of Summer
Amy Shark
Client Liaison
Courtney Barnett
Dean Lewis
Gang of Youths
Paul Kelly
Peking Duk
Pnau
Tash Sultana

Music teacher of the year:
Becky Hall (Education Institute, Royal Children’s hospital Melbourne)
Scott Maxwell (Grant high school, Mount Gambier)
Dean Harawira (Nerang state high school, Gold Coast)
Deborah Skelton (Caladenia primary school, Canning Vale)

2018 Aria award winners

Best classical album: Slava Grigoryan – Bach Cello Suites Volume II
Best jazz album: Jonathan Zwartz – Animarum
Best world music album: Gurrumul – Djarimirri (Child of the Rainbow)
Best comedy release: Bridie and Wyatt, Tonightly with Tom Ballard – Sex Pest