Australia's Tales from Outer Suburbia Sweeps Four Screen Music Awards

Tales from Outer Suburbia, the animated series adapted from Australian illustrator Shaun Tan's book of the same name, was the biggest winner at the 2026 Screen Music Awards in Brisbane on October 28: composers Josh Hogan and Ned Beckley won all four categories in which the series was nominated.

Four wins from four nominations

The awards were Best Music for Children's Programming, Best Opening Title Television Theme, Best Soundtrack Album, and Best Original Song Composed for the Screen for “Nothing Stays the Same,” performed live by Joni Hogan with the awards orchestra. The Screen Music Awards are presented by APRA AMCOS and the Australian Guild of Screen Composers and cover 16 categories.

A children's series that trusts its audience

Directed by Noel Cleary with Shaun Tan as creative director, the series uses premium CG animation to create a handcrafted, stop-motion feel, telling stories about the magic hidden in everyday suburban life. The director said the score could only be as brave as the show allowed it to be, so audiences could feel the emotion beneath the images.

Another line on a growing honours list

With these four wins, the series now holds 15 award honours and festival selections, from the Venice TV Awards to the NHK Japan Prize. It premiered on ABC iview on January 1, 2026, and on BYUtv in the United States on January 7; the score was recorded at Envelope Audio in Fremantle, and the official soundtrack album was released in January.

(Image source: ACMI, Tales from Outer Suburbia promotional image)