Artists
Artist eligibility criteria applies to all categories. Canadian artists, for the purposes of this competition, are defined as follows:
- A Canadian citizen or;
- A landed immigrant or;
- A person who has resided in Canada for two years (including the album release period).
- In the case of group submissions, at least 50% of group members must fulfill one of the above definitions of “Canadian artist.”
Dates
2025 ELIGIBILITY PERIOD:
Canadian artists who have publicly released recordings between May 1, 2023 – July 18, 2024 are eligible to submit to the 2025 CFMAs.
2025 SUBMISSION PERIOD:
The 2025 CFMA submission period is May 29, 2024 – July 18, 2024.
- FINAL DEADLINE: All submission details and payments must be received through our website no later than 5:00 pm EDT, July 18, 2024.
Submission Fees
- Early Bird Submission Period (May 29th-June 12, 2024): $75 per category
- Regular Submission Period (June 13th-July 18, 2024): $85 per category
Submissions
The Canadian Folk Music Awards welcomes submissions from musicians at any stage of their career.
With exception of the Single of the Year and Young Performer(s) of the Year categories, all categories are for albums (as defined below).
If you have already submitted your album or a single track to a previous CFMA year, it is not eligible for submission in another year.
Please be aware that we have a NO REFUND POLICY. It is vital to ensure your submission meets all eligibility criteria that apply to category definitions, as well as all industry standards for production qualities. The CFMA reserves the right to disqualify any recording that does not meet any of our eligibility criteria. Submissions not accepted or disqualified after the Juror Adjudication Process begins will not be notified.
All submissions become the property of the CFMA for the purpose of promoting the Canadian Folk Music Awards, and promoting the artists submitting this material.
Album Recordings
The CFMA defines recording eligibility standards for albums as follows:
- Submitted recordings must be at least 30 minutes in length or feature a minimum of six (6) tracks.
- Eligible entries must comprise at least 75% recorded tracks that have not been previously released by the artist. Single album tracks that are released as advance promotion leading up to an official album release are not considered to be previously released material.
- Recordings must fulfill all legal obligations (copyright information, payment of mechanical rights, etc.)
- Recordings must be commercially available in Canada, either through artist concert sales, retail outlets or via the internet.
Recording eligibility requirements are different for artists submitting to Young Performer(s) of the Year; see Category & Criteria Page for more details.
The submitter must provide proof EITHER of manufacturing of units in any physical format OR with a valid internet purchase link for the album, for example, a website and/or national/international digital distribution entity or streaming service such as, but not limited to, iTunes, Bandcamp, Indie Pool, CD Baby, etc. In either case, recordings must be commercially available in Canada, such as via concert sales, retail outlets, or the Internet.
The submitter must also provide proof of the date of release. This can be provided via a valid internet purchase link (displaying album release month and year), or by supplying an uploaded copy of a manufacturing invoice or letter from the artist’s/group’s record company or main distributor.
If you have already submitted your album to a previous CFMA year, it is not eligible for submission in another year.
Single Recordings (for Single of the Year category)
Criteria:
- Artists/groups may submit up to two single recordings to this category, released during the eligibility period.
- A single is considered released on the day the track was made available to Canadian radio or streaming services as a single.
- Single(s) submitted must be released to radio or other audio broadcasters (web, satellite, digital, streaming services) during the eligibility period.
- The track(s) must have been released as a single, regardless of whether it has been released on an album.
- Recordings must fulfill all legal obligations (copyright information, payment of mechanical rights, etc.)
- If you have already submitted a single track to a previous CFMA year, it is not eligible for submission in another year.