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

2021 CFMA submissions open May 1, 2020

Canadian artists who have released recordings between May 1, 2019 and July 31, 2020 are eligible to submit their work for CFMAs 2021.

The CFMA 2021 submission period is open from May 1, 2020 to July 31, 2020 (Early Bird deadline is May 29, 2020 at midnight EDT).

FINAL DEADLINE: All submission details including submission forms, support materials including audio tracks, and payments, must be received through our website no later than 5:00 pm EST, July 31, 2020.

Submission Fees

Reduced fees for CFMAs 2021
Due to the Covid-19 situation, we have decided for this year to temporarily reduce the submission fees for CFMA 2021. Instead of $70 for the first category submission and $60 for each subsequent category, pricing will be $50 per category during the Early Bird period, and $55 per category until submission deadline.

EARLY BIRD SUBMISSION PERIOD (May 1-29, 2020): ~~$60~~ $50 per category submission

REGULAR SUBMISSION PERIOD (May 30-July 31, 2020): ~~$70 (1st category submission) $60 each subsequent~~ $55 per category submission

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.