ONE WEEK LEFT!
Submission deadline midnight December 9

A friendly reminder that you have only one week left to get your submission(s) in for the 2025 Saskatchewan Music Awards.

This is our one big public-facing event of the year, celebrating our provincial music scene. It's a great time to come together across genres and meet up with fellow music makers and the industry who supports them all year long. This is a submission-based process, so if you don't submit - you will miss out on being included. We'll include a few FAQs farther down.

Get started by reading the 2025 Submission Guidelines, then click the links at the bottom of that page to begin your submission(s).

Submissions for all categories of the 2025 SMAs will close 11:59pm CST, December 9, 2024.

It is free to submit. Nominate yourself, and/or encourage your colleagues and industry professionals/companies to check out the guidelines and submit themselves!

PS Click here to watch a message of encouragement on our Facebook or Instagram.

ARTISTIC AWARD CATEGORIES

Artist of the Year, by genre:

Note these are general categories. All styles of music are welcomed, just pick the most appropriate category. Artists need to have released 3 new singles between April 15/2023 and November 30/2024 to qualify, and submit an artist statement to give the jury an idea of what else you've been working on during that period - whether that's shows, online marketing, sync placements or other activity.

• Afrobeats Artist of the Year
• Children’s Artist of the Year
• Classical or Broadway Artist of the Year
• Country Artist of the Year
• Electronic Artist of the Year
• Hip Hop Artist of the Year
• Inspirational or Spiritual Artist of the Year
• Instrumental or Ambient Artist of the Year
• Jazz or Blues Artist of the Year
• Metal or Hard Rock Artist of the Year
• R&B Artist of the Year
• Rock Artist of the Year
• Pop Artist of the Year
• Roots or Folk Artist of the Year

Indigenous Artist of the Year - In addition to a genre category, Indigenous artists may choose to submit into one of the following.

• Contemporary Indigenous Artist of the Year
• Traditional Indigenous Artist/Group of the Year

Single of the Year is a non-juried and genre-spanning category based on industry data including streams and radio impressions.

Music Video of the Year is awarded to a deserving director, filmmaker, producer, or production company, as named in your nomination submission.

Album of the Year celebrates an album, as a whole, in any genre released between September 15, 2023-November 30, 2024. To be considered an album, it is a) at least 25 minutes in length, or is at least b) 5 tracks and >18 minutes in length.

INDUSTRY AWARD CATEGORIES

The following categories refer to a period of work from April 15, 2023-November 30, 2024.

• Industry Achievement Award will recognize those helping to strengthen the music community of Saskatchewan.
• Music Company or Organization of the Year will recognize a music business/organization/company that has demonstrated excellence in sales, services, or craftsmanship in their offerings to the public and/or music industry.
• Music Professional of the Year will recognize an individual who provided excellent sales, service, skills, or craftsmanship during the period.
• 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 period.
• Venue or Festival of the Year will recognize live music venues and music festivals that strove to celebrate and present live music.

Visit www.saskmusicawards.com to learn more and see past nominees.

If you require assistance in completing your submission, please contact our office well before the deadline at 1-800-347-0676 toll-free (306-347-0676 outside Sask) during weekdays, or email smainfo@saskmusic.org. 

The Awards Date

The seventh awards celebration will be held in Regina on Sunday, March 2/2025. Host hotel and other event details will be announced in the weeks to come. Final nominees (for Album of the Year, that's the Top Ten) will receive a pair of tickets to the awards show and an invitation to our pre-event Nominee Reception. 

Some Frequently Asked Questions

Can I nominate someone else? In theory, yes. Since we need materials submitted for the jury's review, it's best if the nomination comes 'from the source,' so we know that they represent the artist/individual/company in the way they want to be represented, and that they agree to the nomination. We strongly encourage you to give a nudge to someone you feel is deserving.

What if I didn't have enough songs released to submit for Artist of the Year? You can look at submitting for Single or Video of the Year. Due to the long eligibility period for each award cycle, you might qualify for Artist of the Year next year instead.

The same person wins each year; why should I bother submitting? There's actually no categories where one person/company has won it every single year of SMAs! Each year is a fresh year - a new jury is formed, different materials provided by each of those submitting, and a new chance. 

How are the nominees and winners determined? Check out the Guidelines to learn the process for each category.

Why don't you have a category for ______ ? Suggestions are welcomed, and can be forwarded to smainfo@saskmusic.org. We keep track of suggestions received for consideration as well as review the categories every cycle. A key factor is whether we think we would receive enough nominations in a new category or genre for it to go forward - ie have enough interest from the community. As well, there needs to be a fair way to evaluate or jury the new category.

Why wasn't _____ nominated last year? We sometimes see this question posed by fans, and it's often because the artist/company did not submit into the category; or, they didn't qualify (eg did not release new material within the eligibility period).

How can I perform on the show? For artists wishing to perform on the show: Please submit your current EPK link to lorenakelly@saskmusic.org. Selections for the performance lineup are largely curated from past award nominees and winners, and our best guesses on who will be nominated this year; gender equity, a range of genres, and the selected artist(s) for our Youth Performance spot. That said, you are most welcome to express your interest in performing on the show and we will take this information into consideration as well.

When will award show tickets go on sale? We expect to announce ticket sales in January. A block will be reserved for nominees.

Call for Jurors

Would you like to participate in SaskMusic juries, including the 2025 Saskatchewan Music Awards? Let us know a few details and will we consider you for this and other intakes through the year.

Your chances of being selected as an SMA juror are dependent on the number of people interested in volunteering, with a pool for each category drawn from local and national industry members. A jury of peers and industry will be compiled for each category that is knowledgeable in the genre/category, and representative of our community, based on the music experience you indicate on the form. The deadline to express your interest in jurying the SMAs is December 9.

Click here to view the juror form.

SMA logo by Gabrielle Giroux, Encore Graphics

​​Find information on the 2023 SMAs here.