The 2023 APRA Best Country Music Song finalists, as well as the MLT Songwriting Award finalists, have been announced.

2023 APRA Best Country Music Song Finalists

• Beyond The Stars, written by Tami Neilson and Delaney Davidson
• Find A River, written by Maegan Mitchell, Nicola Mitchell and Tami Neilson
• Slow Burn, written and performed by Mel Parsons

2023 MLT Songwriting Award finalists:

• Compte de Paris, written by Kate Targett-Adams and Chad Robinson
• Co-Parent, written by Peter & Joanna Green
• Daffodils, written by Jenny Mitchell and Ron Mitchell
• Goosebumps, written by Keith Pereira
• Help Me Remember, written by Keith Pereira
• Little Less Lonely, written by Jenny Mitchell
• Love Ya Like I Can, written by Kerryn Fields and Matt Joe Gow
• Nobody Warns You, written by Mel Parsons
• Prairie Song (Hard Times), written by Kerryn Fields
• Whirlwind, written by Matt Joe Gow

Formerly known as the NZ Country Music Awards, the Country Music Honours celebrate the country music community in Aotearoa. The red-carpet event on June 1 is part of Gore’s Tussock Country Music Festival that will be playing host to multiple performances and bring glamour to Gore, with the presentation of these two very special awards.

The APRA Best Country Music Song Award will be presented at the inaugural Country Music Honours alongside the MLT Songwriting Award, acknowledging unreleased songs from writers from Aotearoa and Australia, presented by the NZ Songwriters Trust.