Source: Leap Event Technology
Australian Hardstyle Awards (AHA) honour the genre’s best as Leap Event Technology highlights how ticketing and event tech are shaping the experience
The night hardstyle’s community took centre stage
The Australian Hardstyle Awards (AHA), now in their second year after a debut ceremony in 2025, brought together artists, organisers, partners and fans in Belmore, Sydney, on Friday 2 October to celebrate the achievements of a genre that has grown from a close-knit scene into one of the most passionate live music movements in the country.
One word came up again and again through the night: community. From promoters, to ticketing partners, to the fans who travel overseas for the world’s biggest festivals, the people behind hardstyle say the connection between them is what sets the genre apart.
The 2026 AHA winners
Winners were crowned across 17 awards, recognising the artists, MCs, creators and event organisers behind Australian hard dance.
- Community Contributor: Hard Kick Raver. Also nominated: 909Kickz Podcast, Ashvlahovichh, Hard Dance Society, Team Minimal to No Sleep.
- All Star Entertainer: T Money (@tayliisesage). Also nominated: Dankylanky, Hezza, Ryleno, Thatravechic.
- Creator of the Year: Moeydoworry. Also nominated: ABGFinalBossXX, Mister Miyagi, Giffy, The Rave Twins.
- Top 3 MCs: MC D, MC Pez, MC Ph4ntam. Also nominated: MC Midnyte, MC Napsta.
- Best Rising Talent, Happy Hardcore: DV5K. Also nominated: Bagleboy, Kandee, Zwackery.
- Best Rising Talent, Hardstyle: Tankz. Also nominated: 2Risky, B33BAA x Xenopulse, Chamz, Jazzyk.
- Best Rising Talent, Raw: Don. Also nominated: Aethyx, BLKDRVGON, Omynus, Sano.
- Best Rising Talent, Hardcore/Uptempo: Plus+. Also nominated: AKX, AMT, Akira x Selina x MJC, OVRTAKE.
- Best Artist, Happy Hardcore: Technikore. Also nominated: Danomate, Dave Psi, JTS, Krystal Ravegirl, Nextjen, Weaver.
- Best Artist, Hardstyle: Twin Tigerz. Also nominated: Colin Hennerz, DNA, Firelite, Juchs!, Nugget, Papas Jnr, Steve Hill, SUAE.
- Best Artist, Raw: Stratisphere. Also nominated: Alex M, Animosity, Evolate, Guerrilla Warfare, MJU, Nine2Nine, Thredz.
- Best Artist, Hardcore/Uptempo: Peygan. Also nominated: ABTEQ, Catzeyez, Napoleon, Rezzx, Soundzero, Spellbound, Tha Apex.
- Local Support, Tier 1: Hardcore Overload. Also nominated: Ascension Hard Dance, Elementum Entertainment, Extrasensory Productions, Fokus Events, Freaquency Events, Sydney Hardcore Network, Ventricular, Xtinction.
- Local Support, Tier 2-3: OneSeventy. Also nominated: EMP, Gearbox Digital Aus, Hakken Entertainment, Hard Kandy, Harder Industries, Ignite Brisbane, Masif Events, No Sleep Entertainment, Project Hardstyle.
- Best Overall Event, Tier 1: Freaquency Events pres. Barber. Also nominated: Ascension Hard Dance, Elementum Entertainment, Extrasensory Productions, Fokus Events, Hardcore Overload, Sydney Hardcore Network, Ventricular, Xtinction.
- Best Overall Event, Tier 2: Harder Industries pres. Rawzone. Also nominated: EMP, Hakken Entertainment, Ignite Brisbane, OneSeventy.
- Best Overall Event, Tier 3: No Sleep Entertainment pres. Gearbox Australia. Also nominated: Gearbox Digital Aus, Hard Kandy, Masif Events, Project Hardstyle.
The growing recognition of hardstyle
Hardstyle is no longer a footnote in Australian live music. Attendees and industry figures on the night described a genre that is growing quickly and edging closer to the scale of other mainstream festival music.
At the AHA evening, Event Organiser and hardstyle community champion, Brad Castle, said the pace of growth is what excites him most. Castle says, “You can really see that it’s starting to hit the levels of a lot of other mainstream music.” As an example, he pointed to how quickly Knockout Outdoor Festival sells out, and expects more organisers to emerge alongside HSU Events, including more large-scale festivals.
For Alex Jeon, who has been DJing for almost 20 years, the milestone is personal. “20 years ago, we never would have thought of having an AHA,” he said, noting that Australia now hosts the biggest festivals in the southern hemisphere, while fans also travel overseas for events such as Tomorrowland.
The next generation is just as enthusiastic. Sisters Jade and Hannah Glen, who grew up with a mother who was an ‘old-school raver’, said what they love most is that the sound keeps changing. They also noted how far the local scene has come. Australia once trailed the Netherlands rave scene, and now “we’re up at the same level,” with global moments reaching local fans the very next day. The community, they said, is the heart of it. It feels “like one big family,” where people feel part of something and look out for each other.
How technology fuels the event experience
As the official partner of the AHA, Leap Event Technology says the genre’s growth and the technology behind it have grown together. For 15 years, Leap has partnered with some of the biggest event organisers, and in doing so has supported the hardstyle genre, and witnessed the way the community consistently shows up.
Jess Attwood, General Manager APAC at Leap, commented at the AHA event, “You can see it when you get to the events: it’s about the community. The community of the hardstyle industry is insane, it’s like no other. The industry in general is just amazing. We’re excited to be at the Hardstyle Awards, we love the organisers, we love the event, and there’s some incredible nominees.”
Dance music is Leap’s heartland, according to Louis Rogers, Leap’s Senior Director of Sales. He commented the company’s roots, going back to the mid-2010s, are in the dance music scene.
“Organisers value the data, ticketing functionality and ability to handle massive ticketing loads that Leap provides, and fans gain confidence knowing they have a reliable service,” Rogers says. “These are real world considerations that can have a huge impact on the success of an event. To have a trusted brand that organisers are familiar with and are used to working with makes all the difference. It’s so important to be able to work with a team that has confidence in our industry and understands the consumers as well.”
From the organiser’s lens, Castle put it simply: when ticketing works smoothly, with no website crashes, organisers focus and deliver a great show. Jeon echoed this point from the artist’s perspective, saying convenience and availability matter most. He says, “If there’s any issues, we deal with it straight away, and we make sure from start to finish that the experience, the booking experience, or the customer experience, is superb.”
What’s next for the hardstyle industry?
With Australia’s hardstyle scene continuing to grow in global influence and setting trends in the hardstyle space, more organisers expected to scale up, and technology moving quickly, the people behind the genre agree on one thing: the community is the foundation, and the experience keeps getting bigger.
Considering the production value of the live events, Rogers expects the hardstyle industry is “just scratching the surface,” predicting holograms and ongoing conversations about where AI fits in the creative process, from artists to visuals. Overall, Rogers said Australia is acknowledged around the world as a leader in this market, and that DJs “can’t wait to come to Australia” to play.
Regardless of where the events and genre goes to next, it will be rooted in the same, passionate community. Castle says, “I think that sense of community, that’s just so closely tied to the music, makes hardstyle what it is, and I think it’s the reason that it does so well from a local aspect all the way up to an international level. A large part of it is the crowd as well, because the crowds are generally very passionate, very loud, very friendly with each other, and that all starts from that community level. If you have really good crowds, if all the people there are all connected and happy, then you know it just makes the overall experience better. Other genres have that, but hardstyle is by far one of the best when it comes to that sort of community foundation.”
About the Australian Hardstyle Awards
The Australian Hardstyle Awards (AHA) celebrate the best of Australian hard dance. The inaugural ceremony, billed as a red-carpet, sit-down celebration, was held on Friday 3 October 2025 at Canterbury League Club in Belmore, NSW, with more than 20 awards presented. The 2026 awards followed in Sydney on Friday 2 October.
Nominees must be Australian residents who did most of their hardstyle-related work in Australia during the eligibility period. Nominations come through a structured, confidential process involving industry entities, public figures and influencers in the hardstyle community, and the AHA team. Potential nominees are ranked by nomination count, industry standing and achievements, and state representation.
About Leap Event Technology
Leap’s global event technology solution empowers organisers to transform their events into electrifying experiences for attendees. The company provides an all-in-one suite of ticketing, mobile apps, experiential marketing, and event management tools, combined with expert marketing and analytics services.
This unified approach empowers organisers to drive nonstop engagement and capture fan insights before, during, and after their event. With offices in Dallas, Montreal, and Sydney, plus an expansive remote workforce, their team is dedicated to helping organisers connect with audiences and bring once-in-a-lifetime experiences to event goers around the world.
Their game-changing technology and passionate team are why the most iconic brands in attractions, music, fandom conventions, and sports use Leap to elevate their experiences. Find out more at https://www.leapevent.tech.