Lisa Mitchell was awarded 2009 Australian Music Prize at an awards ceremony held at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney earlier today.

Mitchell’s debut album, Wonder, was the judges pick from a field of nine shortlisted artists including Kid Sam, Black Cab, Oh Mercy, Bertie Blackman and one of Mitchell’s main influences, Sarah Blasko.

She is the first female winner of the $30,000 prize; following the distinctly blokey parade of earlier winners – The Drones, Augie March, Mess Hall and Eddy Current Suppression Ring.

Following last year’s awards Sydney Morning Herald music critic Bernard Zuel quite publicly bemoaned the lack of female nominees that had been included on AMP shortlists over the years, so he was surely pleased when judges Deborah Conway and Holly Throsby announced Mitchell had won .

The awards also featured live sets from Oh Mercy, who won the AMP Red Bull Award in recognition of their “outstanding potential”, Perry Keyes and Washington. Street Press Australia’s Leigh Treweek provided the highlight of the event with an impassioned speech championing the need for a national system to protect live music, before a sadly uninspiring deflection from the Federal Minister for the Arts and Global Member for Midnight Oil, Peter Garrett.

Mitchell is currently overseas on tour, but accepted the award via video link up from a cold and wet field somewhere in the UK. She’ll be back in Australia very soon for a national tour and a few celebratory drinks.