Eligibility

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

2022 CFMA submission period opens May 15, 2021

Eligible album release dates, submission fees, and more info will be updated here closer to the opening of submissions.

Album Recordings

Please Note:

If you have already submitted your album to a previous CFMA year, it is not eligible for submission in another year.
Recording eligibility requirements are different for artists submitting to Young Performer of the Year; see Category & Criteria Page for more details.
With exception of the Single of the Year category, all categories are for albums (as defined below).

The submitter must provide proof EITHER that a minimum of 300 units have been manufactured, OR, if the album is only for sale in digital format, the submitter must provide a valid internet purchase link for the album, for example, a website and/or national/international digital distribution entities such as, but not limited to, iTunes, Bandcamp, Indie Pool, CD Baby. 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 (if displays 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.

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.

Single Recordings (for Single of the Year category)

Criteria:

Artists/groups may only submit one single recording 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 submitted must be released to radio or other audio broadcasters (web, satellite, digital, streaming services) during the eligibility period.
The track 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.)

Submissions

The Canadian Folk Music Awards welcomes submissions from musicians at any stage of their career. In each category, a blind jury will listen to each submission and will make selections based on the merit of the submission alone.

With exception of the Single of the Year category, all categories are for albums (as defined above).

Please be aware, we have a no refund policy. It is vital to ensure your submission meets all eligibility criteria including for the definition for all selected categories. The CFMA reserves the right to disqualify any recording that does not meet industry standards. Submissions not accepted or disqualified 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.