Ecca Vandal Takes Home 22nd SoundMerch Australian Music Prize

Ecca Vandal has won the 22nd SoundMerch Australian Music Prize (AMP) for her sophomore album, LOOKING FOR PEOPLE TO UNFOLLOW.

The Melbourne-based creative beat out eight other artists to claim the prize, including Courtney Barnett, Genesis Owusu and Swapmeet, and received a fancy trophy and a cool $50,000.

Released in May, the record was co-produced by Vandal and longtime collaborator Richie Buxton, made it to #12 on the ARIA Albums Chart and received unanimous praise from media outlets including Clash, DIY and NME.

"Wow, this is such an incredible honour. To be recognised alongside so many amazing Australian artists means the world to me," Vandal said.

"Richie and I made this album together in his childhood bedroom, pouring everything we had into it, so to receive an award like this is honestly beyond anything we could have imagined. Thank you to the Australian Music Prize, the judges, and everyone who has supported us and believed in this record. We’re incredibly grateful, and it means so much to have our music recognised in this way."

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Chosen from more than six hundred eligible albums, Ecca Vandal's AMP win comes off the back of the biggest year in her career.

Not only did Vandal release one of the year's best albums, but she performed at Coachella in April, garnered a whopping seven 2026 ARIA Awards nominations and toured Europe supporting Limp Bizkit.

Speaking about the win, AMP founder and Prize Director Scott B Murphy said, "Congratulations Ecca Vandal, you've been chosen from 600 albums reviewed by our judges, that's huge - and well deserved. Many times a judge of late has told me how strong all 9 Shortlisted albums are... and how hard it's going to be to choose a winner. I thank each of them so much for undertaking a very challenging job and doing so with such passion."

This year also saw the introduction of the inaugural Prize Director's Award, presented in partnership with JB Hi-Fi, with Baker Boy taking out the win for his album DJANDJAY, receiving $2,000 in cash and $2,000 in JB Hi-Fi gift vouchers.

Head to australianmusicprize.com.au for more information about this year's AMP.