The finalists for the 2018 APRA Best Children's Music Song, the Recorded Music NZ Best Children's Music Artist, and the NZ On Air Best Children's Music Video have been revealed.

APRA Best Children's Song finalists:
- Moe & Friends for Another Year Of You written by Ben Sinclair & Jeremy Dillon
- Kath Bee & Suzy Cato for Sprinkle A Little Sunshine
- Craig Smith for The Scariest Thing In The Garden

Recorded Music NZ Best Children's Artist finalists:
- Chanelle & Friends for The Little Green Turtle And Other Songs For Kids
- Levity Beet for My Best Friend Jake Is A Cyborg
- Moe & Friends for The Moe Album

NZ On Air Best Children's Music Video finalists: 
- Moe & Friends for Because It’s Christmas (directed by Jeremy Dillon and produced by Briar Coleman)
- Itty Bitty Beats for Hot Air Balloon (directed and produced by Jennifer Payne)
- fleaBITE for Liver Lover (directed by Geni McCallum and produced by Robin Nathan)

This years finalists represent an outstanding selection of locally created music for NZ’s littlest ears to hear.  They cover a diverse range of genres all guaranteed to get your kids dancing and singing. 

Presented by Recorded Music NZ, APRA NZ and NZ On Air, the awards have the support of Kiwi Kids Music, the national association of children’s songwriters, creators and producers.  Formed by some of the most passionate creators of music for Kiwi Kids and currently chaired by Suzy Cato, the association supports NZ children’s music creators and seeks to advance the potential of all our children to live healthy fulfilling lives.

A little bit about the finalists:

Moe & Friends who are finalists in all three categories won the APRA Best Children’s Song in 2017.  They have been entertaining kids for nearly four years on beloved TV series The Moe Show. With songs written by Jeremy Dillon and Ben Sinclair, and brought to life by the entire Moe Show team, they seamlessly blend humour and education into one energetic package.

Kath Bee & Suzy Cato are two of NZ’s most well-known faces in Children’s music.  Individually they have achieved awards, tours, radio & TV shows and with Suzy now embarking on song-writing, it is no surprise that together they have created magic with an uplifiting & positive tune sure to get you singing along.  Suzy was a Tui finalist in 1996 for ‘You & Me Songbook’ while Kath won the NZ On Air Best Music Video Award for Individuality in 2010, and Dragons Under My Bed in 2014.

Craig Smith is back with another sure to be classic song with accompanying book.  A former APRA Best Childrens Song Award winner and #1 Best Seller with The Wonky Donkey in 2009, Craig has produced a fun (and a little scary) story & song, sure to appeal to the children as well as the adults in the home and make you smile.

Chanelle (& Friends) made the shift to writing for kids in 2013 and that year won the APRA Best Children’s Song Award.  Written in Hawaii, The Little Green Turtle was the first song written for the album and was celebrated by dancing their way around NZ on a national Album Party Tour playing to over 2000 people in 14 cities.  

Levity Beet is no stranger to these awards having won the APRA Children’s Song of the Year award three times. Featuring unusual instruments he has invented using recycling appliances and materials to produce quirky, humourous and heartfelt music for children and the young at heart.   He shares his unique music adventure in schools, early childhood centres and festivals all over New Zealand.

Itty Bitty Beats formed in 2014 in Christchurch.  The duo were nominated for Best Album with their debut Bath Time in 2015 and again in 2017 for the album On the Move.  In 2016 they won both Best Album and Best Song.  Their colourful, catchy, Kiwi-centric songs have captured imaginations across the country.

fleaBITE is no stranger to these awards being a 2 x Tui winner for Circus of Fleas (2013) and The Jungle Is Jumping (2015).  Robin Nathan, the producer of the fleaBITE series offers exuberant lyrics, at times ridiculous and always inventive.  She has written and produced three fleaBITE albums, produced 10 animated music clips, which screen on television, and at international film festivals.

Winners will be announced at a ceremony on Sunday 6 May at Tuning Fork, Spark Arena. There will be live performances, video screenings, and plenty of fun and games.