The Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards are given annually for live classical music-making in the United Kingdom. The awards were first held in 1989 and are independent of any commercial interest.

Since 2003, BBC Radio 3 has been the media partners of the awards and all the winners are celebrated in a full-length "Performance on 3" broadcast.

The Royal Philharmonic Society, founded in 1813, is a registered UK Charity dedicated to creating a future for music. It is one of the world's oldest music societies with a membership including both professional musicians and music lovers. Nominations for its awards are invited annually from members of the society, members of the music profession and UK musical organisations. Each category is decided by an independent jury who is asked to judge the nominations on the criteria of creativity, excellence and understanding. Recipients each receive a handcrafted silver lyre trophy made by the silversmith Julie Jones.

Thirteen awards are given annually with categories for performers, composers, programmers, audience engagement, communication and learning and participation. There is no restriction on the nationality of recipients. The awards are presented each May at a dinner in London. Each year the presentation is made by an eminent musician and a distinguished cultural figure is invited to address the guests. Recent speakers have included Dame Liz Forgan, Richard Holloway, Nicholas Hytner, Jude Kelly, Alan Rusbridger, Armando Iannucci, Neil MacGregor, Grayson Perry, Mark Ravenhill and Gareth Malone.