Deadline approaching: 2022 Saskatchewan Music Awards

Submissions close 11:59pm CST, Oct 3/22

The nomination intake for the 2022 Saskatchewan Music Awards is closing soon! The fifth annual awards will honour excellence in the Saskatchewan music industry and celebrate the achievements of our music industry members over the past year. A live and livestreamed awards ceremony is being planned to take place on December 11/22 in conjunction with the Very Prairie: Saskatchewan Music Summit, taking place December 8-11/2022 in Regina.

There is no cost to make a submission. All those who qualify are invited to make a submission for themselves.

See the complete guidelines here.

The eligibility period for most categories is April 15, 2021-October 3, 2022, with the exception of Album of the Year (Oct 15/21-Oct 3/22).

ARTISTIC: Artist of the Year Categories
All of the following are broad style categories - submit in the one closest to your genre.

Nominees and winners in these categories are selected by juries, based on 3 submitted tracks that were publicly released during the eligibility period plus an artist statement (bio, recent highlights etc.) There are no sales or streaming qualifications to meet.

Alternative Artist of the Year: including but not limited to progressive new music such as alt rock, alt pop, punk, and sub-genres/hybrids outside of the Metal/Loud or Rock/Pop categories.
Country Artist of the Year: including but not limited to mainstream and traditional country.
Electronic Artist of the Year: including but not limited to dance and instrumental electronic.
Experimental or Contemporary Artist of the Year: This category recognizes an innovative, non-mainstream, instrumental, or eclectic album without genre limit, based on artistic vision and creative merit. It also aims to recognize artists working in a genre that produces a limited number of releases per year. Genres which may be suitable for this category include but are not limited to spoken word, noise, jazz, classical, children’s, witch house, comedy, and original soundtrack.
Hip Hop Artist of the Year: including but not limited to hip hop, rap, urban R&B, and neo soul.
Instrumental Artist of the Year: including but not limited to acoustic instrumental, classical, jazz, trip hop, chillout, original score, and others. (New for 2022.)
Metal/Loud Artist of the Year: including but not limited to hard rock, metal, punk, heavy alternative, and heavy instrumental.
R&B Artist of the Year: including but not limited to soul, funk, and rhythm & blues.
Rock/Pop Artist of the Year: including but not limited to those considered to be mainstream, such as rock, pop, blues, and adult contemporary.
Roots/Folk Artist of the Year: including but not limited to roots, folk, singer/songwriter, traditional blues, and Americana.
Indigenous Artist of The Year: This category will recognize self-identifying Indigenous artists making music in any genre. Submissions may include any contemporary genres such as those categories above, as well as traditional music and fusions that incorporate traditional instrumentation/rhythm, and/or reflect the Indigenous experience through their lyrics. For this category, submissions will only need to include 2 songs which were made available to the public during the eligibility period.

Artistic: Single of the Year
recognizes the top commercial Saskatchewan song of the year released during the eligibility period, determined solely by a numerical calculation of industry data.

Artistic: Music Video of the Year
recognizes an exceptional music video made available to the public during the eligibility period. Nominees and winner selected by jury,

Artistic: Album of the Year
This category is based on a full-length album, as a whole, released during the period of Oct 15/21-Oct 3/22. All genres of music are considered. A jury determines a long list of finalists, which then goes to public voting to determine the Top Ten and the winner.

Industry Categories

Industry Achievement: will recognize excellence in the provision of skills and/or services and by those helping to build the community and music industry of Saskatchewan. Nominees will be determined by jury, with the winner determined by a combination of jury and public vote.
Music Company of the Year: will recognize a music business/organization that has demonstrated excellence in services, sales, or craftsmanship in their offerings to the public and/or music industry. (New for 2022.) Nominees will be determined by jury, with the winner determined by a combination of jury and public vote.
Music Professional of the Year: will recognize an individual who provided excellent sales, service, skills, craftsmanship, or volunteerism. (New for 2022). Nominees and winner selected by jury,
Venue or Festival of the Year: will recognize live music venues and music festivals that strove to celebrate and present live music, including in-person shows/events and alternate programming initiatives, as well as excellence in programming and community engagement. Nominees will be determined by jury, with the winner determined by a combination of jury and public vote.
Producer of the Year: will recognize excellence in music production by a producer residing in Saskatchewan, who was primarily responsible for the recording and/or mixing process for a submitted project(s) released within the eligibility period. Nominees and winner selected by jury,
SPECIAL HONOURS: Indigenous Music Achievement Award
This award will recognize excellence in an individual demonstrating musical impact, leadership, innovation and/or community-building which has created a positive and lasting impact on the Indigenous music community. This award is intended to honour a long-term commitment to integrity and involvement in music which has inspired and uplifted others, and will consider the individual’s work over their career. Recipient selected by committee.

ARTISTIC AWARDS SUBMISSIONS FORM

INDUSTRY AWARDS SUBMISSIONS FORM

Anyone requiring assistance with their submission or questions on the process may contact SaskMusic, at 1-800-347-0676 (toll-free in Saskatchewan) or info@saskmusic.org.

For more information, visit www.saskmusicawards.com.