Limelight critics have put together a shortlist of 40 outstanding musicians and ensembles – 20 Australian and 20 International – for our annual Limelight Artists of the Year Awards, now in their fifth year.

Some nominees are established artists and some are relative newcomers. Several of the international artists have thrilled Australian audiences in performance while others have released stunning recordings or achieved accomplishments of note in their field. The nominees include performers, composers, ensembles, conductors and artistic directors.

Like last year, there will be two prizes in each category – a Critic’s Choice and a People’s Choice award. That’s where you come in. We’d like you, Limelight readers, to vote for the Australian and international artist that you would most like to see honoured. The announcement of the winners will be made in our special bumper holiday issue of Limelight, on sale January 6, 2020.

Please note, for the purposes of these awards, a non-Australian who leads an Australian orchestra or arts organisation has been counted as an Australian artist rather than International.

Plus, vote for your three favourite artists in each category and you could win a copy of Deutsche Grammophon’s box set The History of Classical Music on 100 CDs, valued at $249.99.