Two more celebrity judges announced from
Australian National Busking Championships
..and both are former winners!
THE Australian National Busking Championships has announced the second and third celebrity judges for its gala three night/two day combined regional and national grand final event in November.
Joining Tamworth Country Music Festival busking coordinator Kyle Kash on the judging panel in 2025 will be musician, vocalist, songwriter, and mum in the family band Haystack Mountain Hermits – Kerrie Gambley from Tamborine Mountain, Queensland.
The Hermits won the ANBC in 2017/18 and are currently finalists in the Gold Coast Music Awards as Live Act of the Year.
The third judge is John Littrich, lead singer of award-winning South Coast band The Water Runners, which has won Best Band at the ANBC and has recently won runner-up in the Australian Folk Music Awards People’s Choice.
ANBC President Allan Spencer said he was delighted and honoured to welcome Kerrie and John to the judging team, along with Kyle.
“This year’s event is a double whammy with the regional Cooma heat and the national grand final all on the one weekend, with a myriad of events, concerts, workshops and attractions for the general public,” he said.
“Securing judges of the calibre of Kerrie, John and Kyle – people who really know and understand the essence of busking as an art form – is a huge plus for the ANBC as we enter a big phase of growth.”
Now in its 14th year and with many buskers having gone on to big things on the national and world stage, Mr Spencer said the ANBC was working to develop ties with other major music festivals.
“We already sent our Ambassador, last year’s runner-up Gabi Forman, to perform at the Gympie Music Muster this year, and we are in talks with Tamworth Country Music Festival and Cobargo Folk Festival to see what links we can grow there.”
The two new judges both said they were honoured to be invited to perform what Allan says is “a very tricky task” due to the wide variation of genres buskers bring to the competition.
“It is important that our judges have a good understanding of the elements of busking, which is a form of street performance where you really only have a matter of seconds to attract passers-by and get them to stop and listen and watch,” Allan said.
“Having two judges who have been previous winners and have gone on to be award-winning performers really gives our buskers reassurance that they are being judged by people who understand their craft.”
Judging at the Australian National Busking Championships is a full-circle moment for Kerrie: Haystack Mountain Hermits were crowned Best Band in 2017 and Open Champions in 2018, collecting multiple regional titles, including People’s Choice, before taking out the Tamworth Busking Championships in 2019.
Formed on the road while busking around Australia in 2011–2012, the Haystack Mountain Hermits never stopped playing together, carrying that same grassroots spirit onto bigger stages.
Since then, the band has become a fixture on the Australian festival circuit, performing at Tamworth, Woodford, Gympie Music Muster, Groundwater, the National Folk Festival, Dorrigo Folk and Bluegrass Festival, and many more.
They have toured to great acclaim and are four-time finalists in the Australian Folk Music Awards, most recently placing third in the 2024 People’s Choice category.
Kerrie’s songwriting has also earned national and international recognition through Tamworth Songwriters Association, Australian Songwriters Association, Unsigned Only and the International Songwriting Competition. Her Anzac ballad, written in honour of her great-grandfather and the Australian Light Horse, is a widely viewed hit.
The Australian National Busking Championships hold a special place in Kerrie’s heart, and she said she was delighted to return in 2025.
“I am thrilled to return this year to celebrate and support the next generation of buskers,” she said.
John said he was excited to visit Cooma to take a judging role. “I am really excited about coming to Cooma and helping with the judging. I can’t wait to see the talent that I know this competition always draws. It’s an honour to be part of it'”
His resume as both a busker and a musician/songwriter is expansive. John played in various bands from his teens in the 1980’s including rhythm and blues outfit The Creepers playing venues in Sydney and surrounds, and also regularly supporting a number of bigger acts of the day, including The Cockroaches and Dynamic Hepnotics.
Moving to the South Coast of NSW for work and family, John played in local cover bands before teaming up with friends Neil McCann and Paul McGee in 2004 to write and perform music for schools and early learners with Dogmatic Music and The Rockalots.
In 2013, John and Neil formed a folk/bluegrass band called Crooked River (with John on lead vocals, guitar and harmonica), playing at a local festival.
This band evolved into The Water Runners, who play a blend of bluegrass-infused Australian folk. Since 2016, The Water Runners have played at festivals and venues around Australia and have also had fun busking at markets, festivals and other events.
Along the way, John and Neil have picked up a number of songwriting awards and final placings with the Australian Songwriters Association and Tamworth Songwriters Association song competitions.
In 2020, The Water Runners were voted ‘Best Band’ and were second in the Open category in the Australian National Busking Championships. In 2021 and 2025, The Water Runners were nominated as finalists in the People’s Choice category in the Australian Folk Music Awards.
Categories include Primary, Secondary, Open, Masters, People’s Choice, Best Duo and Best Band. Entrants will play four 30-minute sets at designated busking stations outside Cooma businesses on the day, with announcement of winners and presentations made at the Alpine Hotel, along with winning busker performances and other live nighttime entertainment.
Tamworth-based music publicist and journalist Bec Gracie, who works with many Tamworth country music stars, will sponsor a major award for the Best Masters Muso (a musician over 50).
—
Further information can be found at www.busking.com.au
John Littrich from The Water Runners has joined the judging team for the 2025 Australian National Busking Championships in 2025. PHOTO: Supplied.
Australian National Busking Championships has welcomed Kerrie Gambley from Haystack Mountains Hermits as a 2025 judge. PHOTO: Ryan Gittoes
MEDIA ENQUIRIES/INTERVIEW REQUESTS
Karen Forman – ANBC Media Coordinator (See PDF for contact details)
Allan Spencer – ANBC President (See PDF for contact details)
Media Release celebrity judges for ANBC 1025 FINAL