Categories & Criteria

*CATEGORIES

ALBUM CATEGORIES:

Contemporary* Album of the Year
This award recognizes solo artists, groups or duos. Instrumental or vocal contemporary folk music is eligible. Contemporary folk music consisting of recently composed vocal or instrumental music, influenced by folk music styles, repertoire and musical structures, is eligible. Recordings submitted to this category cannot be submitted to the TRADITIONAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR category.

Traditional** Album of the Year
This award recognizes solo artists, groups or duos. Instrumental or vocal, including recent material, influenced by traditional folk music styles, repertoire and musical structures, is eligible. Recordings submitted to this category cannot be submitted to the CONTEMPORARY ALBUM OF THE YEAR category.

Global Roots Album of the Year
This award is open to artists, groups, or duos, and recognizes traditional or contemporary folk music strongly influenced by cultures other than those of the Indigenous peoples of what is now Canada, or its main early European settlers (i.e. French, English, Irish, and Scottish). Cross-cultural fusion is also eligible. Submissions to this category may also be submitted to all categories for which they are eligible (e.g., all traditional and contemporary categories, instrumentalist of the year, etc.).

Children’s Album of the Year: This award recognizes solo artists, groups or duos. Eligible recordings must include repertoire that is obviously directed towards children. Recordings containing stories or narratives are acceptable, but at least 51% of the album’s tracks must be musical in nature.

PERFORMANCE CATEGORIES:

Contemporary* Singer of the Year
This award recognizes a contemporary solo vocalist, or a specified vocalist within a group, who is featured on at least 51% of the album’s tracks. Recordings submitted to this category cannot be submitted to the Traditional Singer of the Year category.

Traditional** Singer of the Year
This award recognizes a traditional solo vocalist, or a specified vocalist within a group, who is featured on at least 51% of the album’s tracks. Recordings submitted to this category cannot be submitted to the Contemporary Singer of the Year category.

Solo Artist of the Year
This award recognizes a solo artist. Instrumental or vocal music from all folk genres is eligible, including traditional, contemporary and global roots music.

Ensemble of the Year
This award recognizes a group or duo, either instrumental or instrumental/vocal. Based on instrumental expertise, vocal ability, strength and originality of arrangements, tightness of ensemble. Music from all folk genres is eligible, including traditional, contemporary and global roots music.

New/Emerging Artist(s) of the Year
This award recognizes an artist, group or duo, not nominated for any other major (national or international) music award in any prior year. Instrumental or vocal music from all folk genres is eligible, including traditional, contemporary and global roots music. For clarification, as a general guideline, we would consider “national” to include, but not be limited to, the following entities: CFMAs, JUNOs, Indigenous Music Awards, Canadian Country Music Association awards, Polaris (short list only). Despite their national media exposure, we do not consider the following as constituting “national” under our guidelines: any provincial or regional award entities, such as: East Coast Music Awards, the Felix Awards in Quebec, The Western Canadian Music Awards.

Vocal Group of the Year
This award recognizes a group or duo that focuses on ensemble singing. Vocal numbers must be featured on at least 51% of album tracks. Music from all folk genres is eligible, including traditional, contemporary and global roots music.

SONGWRITER CATEGORIES:

• Submitters must specify the name(s) of the main songwriter(s) on the album. 
• Specified songwriter(s) must account for at least 51% of an album’s tracks.
• In the case of collaborations, at least half of the specified songwriters involved must be Canadian.
• Artists may submit a recording to any of the three songwriting categories for which they qualify.
• If the album is 50% in both Official languages (English and French), the specified songwriter(s) may submit to both language categories.
• An Indigenous artist may submit to the Indigenous Songwriting category and/or to either or both of the Official Language categories (provided language requirements are met).

English Songwriter(s) of the Year
This award recognizes the lyrical and melodic excellence of the specified songwriter(s)’s original songs written in English. A minimum of 50% of the tracks on the album must be written in English by the specified songwriter(s).

French Songwriter(s) of the Year
This award recognizes the lyrical and melodic excellence of the specified songwriter(s)’s original songs written in French. A minimum of 50% of the tracks on the album must be written in French by the specified songwriter(s).

Indigenous Songwriter(s) of the Year
This award recognizes the lyrical and melodic excellence of the specified songwriter(s)’s original songs written in an Indigenous language OR by an Indigenous artist writing in English, French or an Indigenous language.  Submissions to this category may also be submitted to the other Songwriter categories provided they meet category eligibility requirements.

INSTRUMENTAL CATEGORIES:

Instrumental Solo Artist of the Year
This award recognizes a solo artist, or a specified solo artist in a group. Recordings must feature Instrumental music on at least 51% of an album’s tracks. Instrumental music from all folk genres is eligible, including traditional, contemporary, and global roots music. Recordings submitted to this category cannot be submitted to the INSTRUMENTAL GROUP OF THE YEAR category.

Instrumental Group of the Year
This award recognizes a group or duo. Recordings must feature Instrumental music on at least 51% of an album’s tracks. Instrumental music from all folk genres is eligible, including traditional, contemporary, and global roots music. Recordings submitted to this category cannot be submitted to the INSTRUMENTAL SOLO ARTIST OF THE YEAR category.

Instrumental Composer(s) of the Year
This award recognizes excellence in instrumental composition in any folk genre. A minimum of 51%of the tracks on the album must be instrumental and composed by the specified composer(s).

PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES:

Oliver Schroer Pushing the Boundaries 
This award recognizes a solo artist, duo or group taking creative risks to create folk-based music that is innovative, original and imaginative.

PRODUCER:

 Producer(s) of the Year
This award recognizes excellence in craft through acknowledgment of the individual(s) who produce recordings. A maximum of 3 releases per producer or team of producers can be submitted and International releases are permitted. In the case of collaborations, at least half of the team must be Canadian. Note: If you are submitting only to this category and are aware of a submission form that has already been submitted for the relevant album, you may email info@folkawards.ca and we can add this category to the existing submission.

SINGLE:

Single of the Year
This award recognizes an artist or group, and their producer(s) for Single of the Year. It is open to all folk genres, songs and instrumentals, recognizing single release recordings, or a track from an album which has been released as a single. Artists/groups may only submit up to two single recordings to this category, each released during the eligibility period. See our Eligibility page for more details.

YOUNG PERFORMER:

Young Performer(s) of the Year
This award recognizes a solo artist, group or duo 19 years of age or younger at the time of recording. In the case of group submissions, the recording must clearly spotlight the young performer. Music from all folk genres is eligible. Submissions must include either a commercial recording (as defined in the section on “Recording Eligibility”) or, in recognition of the fact that many young performers have not released commercial recordings, a three-track demo. The submission must also include the birth dates of the submitting artists as well as a timeline of the recording to demonstrate compliance with the category age requirement.

*CONTEMPORARY CATEGORIES:

This is how we define the term Contemporary Folk Music:
The Contemporary Folk Music genre consists of recently composed songs or instrumental music influenced by folk music styles, repertoire, and musical structures, that are not directly attributable to historical traditions of a specific cultural or ethnic group (e.g., Irish, French, Scottish, Bluegrass, Klezmer, Indigenous, Blues, tradition-based Global Roots music, etc.),  and must be distinguishable from other genres of music, such as Rock, Jazz, Hip-hop, and Pop music, although they may be influenced by such other genres.

**TRADITIONAL CATEGORIES:

This is how we define the term Traditional Folk Music:
* The Traditional Folk Music genre consists of instrumental music and songs that are directly attributable to historical traditions of a specific cultural or ethnic group (e.g., Irish, French, Scottish, Bluegrass, Klezmer, Indigenous, Blues, tradition-based Global Roots music, etc.). It is generally acknowledged that the repertoire and stylistic elements of traditional music have evolved, through oral transmission and other media, while still modelling themselves on specific traditional musical structures (e.g., recently composed jigs and reels, etc.). While a great deal of traditional repertoire consists of older songs and tunes, our definition does not exclude recent compositions.