At a time when the ARIA awards mean very little unless you belong to the Cilmi family, The Australian Music Prize (AMP) comes as a breath of fresh air. Heading into its forth year, the AMP sees its winner walk away with a cool $30,000 prize money, the awards seeking to recognise “creative excellence” in music.

This year’s list of nine finalists were announced at the St Kilda Festival in Melbourne over the weekend – quite a fitting location given that much of this year’s talent hails from M-town. The nominees for 2009 include previous winners The Drones, Melbourne darlings Beaches for their self-titled debut, and two of Modular’s finest, Cut Copy and The Presets.

The Australian Music Prise 2008 shortlist:

Apocalypso – The Presets
Beaches – Beaches
Havilah – The Drones
In Ghost Colours – Cut Copy
Jungle Blues – CW Stoneking
Love Is Gone – Jack Ladder
Presque Vu – Tom Cooney
Primary Colours – Eddy Current Suppression Ring
Sympathy For the New World – Ross McLennan

The Amp’s 2008 winner will be announced in Sydney on March 13th.