Jorja Smith won Best Independent Track, in association with Meta, for "The Way I Love You", her second Independent Music Award following her UK Independent Breakthrough win in 2018. "Everyone should be so proud of being an independent artist," she said. "I can't believe I've been able to have this space to create the same way I've done since I was 11."

Robyn took Best Independent Album for , while Jalen Ngonda, signed to Daptone Records, was named Independent Breakthrough and performed "Hannah, What's the Matter" and "If You Don't Want My Love" on the night. Jim Legxacy converted one of his three nominations into a win, taking Best Independent Mixtape/EP for . SHERELLE won Best Independent Remix for her "Intelligent Dyke Music Remix" of Romy's "Love Who You Love", and Thundercat's "She Knows Too Much" (feat. Mac Miller), directed by Léa Esmaili, won Best Independent Video.

Pauline Black, frontwoman of The Selecter and one of the defining voices of the 2 Tone movement, received the Outstanding Contribution to Music Award, in association with Merlin, recognising a career spanning more than four decades. She marked the honour with a live performance alongside The Selecter during the ceremony.

"I started my career on an independent label, Two Tone, because it fitted who I was perfectly," Black said. "It brought together the best of black music, with the best of white music in 1979. And it mixed it up to make something new, and that was a hybrid, just like me." She added that she was "still mixing it up, and still spreading the same anti racist, anti-sexist message."

Fabio & Grooverider took the Innovator Award for their contribution to UK dance culture, particularly their role in the development of jungle and drum'n'bass, along with their continuing work with young people. "We appreciate the love that we get and the support that we've constantly got for the last 30 plus years," the pair said. "I can't believe we're still doing this, but it's the independence that keep us going."

On the label side, Because Music was named Best Independent Label following its 20th anniversary year, while untitled (recs) took Best Boutique Label and Ninja Tune and Fcukers shared Best Release Campaign for the rollout of . Cooking Vinyl, marking its own 40th anniversary, won the inaugural Best Catalogue Release for its deluxe reissue of The Alan Parsons Project's .

Held at The Roundhouse in Camden, London, the awards are run by not-for-profit organisation AIM, which represents the UK’s independent music sector and community. This year's ceremony was themed around 'Collective Strength', with Gee Davy, CEO of AIM, explaining that the winners reflected "everything that makes the independent music community special," pointing to the "collective strength" behind their achievements rather than success in isolation. She flagged the scale of the wider sector, describing independent labels, distributors and studios across the UK as forming "a vital but largely unseen 'cultural high street'" that generates jobs and investment in local communities.

Elsewhere on the night, bees & honey won the PPL Award for Most Played New Independent Artist, Native James was named One to Watch, Billy Lockett took the publicly voted Best Live Performer award, Qobuz was named Independent Music Champion, Mark Lippmann won Music Entrepreneur of the Year for his work at Scruff of the Neck Records, Cre8ing Vision received the DEI Champion award and Liverpool's Jacaranda Records was named Best Independent Record Store.