APRA AMCOS Aotearoa have announced that the 2026 Aotearoa Children’s Music Awards | Ngā Manu Tīrairaka entries are open, with the awards event scheduled to take place on Sunday June 28, at The Tuning Fork in Tāmaki Makaurau.

The awards include presentations for the Recorded Music NZ Best Children’s Artist award, the APRA Best Children’s Song award and the NZ On Air Best Children’s Music Video award. Entries for each of these awards will close at 5pm, Monday 16 March. 

There is also an additional category running for the Kōkako Award for Best Children’s Performance. This is a collaboration between Kiwi Kids Music, the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and NZ Opera, intended to highlight wonderful performances from the tamariki of Aotearoa. Applications close 5pm on Friday 1 May.

Children’s music creators who released a song, video, or album during the 2025 calendar year should be eligible to enter for the APRA Best Children’s Song Award along with the sub-category awards that allows songs to be judged based on the song’s target age group – Preschool or Primary. Each song may only be entered in just one of those sections.