The 2005 Triple J Hottest 100 was announced on 26 January 2006. It was the thirteenth such countdown of the most popular songs of the year, according to listeners of the Australian radio station Triple J.
The broadcast began at 10am AEDT and finished a little before 7pm when the top song was announced. Broadcast live from the SydneyBig Day Out from 12pm AEDT, it regularly crossed to winning artists and listeners around Australia, with many listening to the broadcast as part of their Australia Day celebrations.
Voters were limited to 20 votes each – 10 via SMS (charged at 30c per message) and 10 via the Internet (at no charge).
Wolfmother had the most entries in the countdown with six, at that point the most by an artist in a single countdown. Their record was not equalled until the 2022 countdown 17 years later, by Spacey Jane, and was not surpassed until the following 2023 countdown, by G Flip.
Bernard Fanning set a new record as the only artist to win the Hottest 100 three times, having previously won the countdown with Powderfinger in 1999 and 2000.
Ben Lee is the first artist to finish second in the Hottest 100, previously finishing second with "Cigarettes Will Kill You" in 1998. Similarly, The Cat Empire are the first artist to secure the No. 100 spot for a second time, having first done so in 2003
Gorillaz featured twice in the Top 5, the first act to do so since Powderfinger in 2000.
The Living End made their ninth consecutive appearance in the Hottest 100, having featured in every annual countdown since 1997. Similarly, The Chemical Brothers made their fifth consecutive appearance, having appeared in every annual countdown since 2000.
The White Stripes appeared in the Top 10 for the third consecutive year, equaling Powderfinger's record set between 1998 and 2000.
Top 10 Albums of 2005
Bold indicates winner of the Hottest 100. Wolfmother won the inaugural J Award for their self-titled album.