Awards & Showcases Submission Guide

DEADLINE: September 23, 2021 at 11:59pm NST. 

Submission period April 1, 2020 – September 30, 2021. To be eligible, albums, EP’s and singles must have been released in this period.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

TO SUBMIT FOR MUSICNL AWARDS, THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS MUST BE MET:  

• Must be a member in good standing.
• Must be a native of Newfoundland & Labrador or a current resident of Newfoundland & Labrador.
• If submitting in a duo or larger group, at least 50% of members of the act must meet the above residency claim.
• Must have released at least three (3) songs between April 1, 2020 – September 30, 2021.
• Must fulfill all legal obligations on the album. Includes, but not limited to: payment of mechanical rights, songwriting credits, etc.
• Must be able to provide proof of the date of release of the recording(s). This is to be provided to MusicNL by the artist/group through a manufacturer’s invoice, retail verification, a distributor or record company.

*Please Note: Albums and/or Singles that were nominated for an award in a specific category cannot be resubmitted for that award the following year.

AWARD CATEGORIES AND DESCRIPTIONS

GENERAL CATEGORIES

Eligible releases from all genres qualify.  A single award is presented in each category.

Album of the Year – A full-length recording (minimum of 6 tracks or 30 minutes) must be released within the eligibility period to qualify. Both solo artists and groups qualify. All genres accepted.

Fan’s Choice Entertainer of the Year – This award recognizes the accomplishments of an artist or group who has performed within the dates of the eligibility period. Artist or group is not required to have an eligible release. Voting for this award is normally done online in conjunction with a sponsor.

Global Music Artist/Group of the Year – With a goal to support and celebrate immigrant artists, this award is specifically geared for an individual artist who is a newcomer (international student, international graduate, PR, refugee, temporary foreign worker etc.) to Newfoundland and Labrador, living in the Province, and making a positive impact in their community through their artistic practice.

Group of the Year – Duos and groups qualify for this award. All genres accepted. Must meet the eligibility criteria.

Indigenous Artist of the Year – This award recognizes an Indigenous Artist or Group. To qualify, artists/groups must have released at least three (3) songs within the last three (3) years.

Music Video of the Year – This award recognizes the accomplishments of a music video released within the eligibility period. The song featured in the video must be an artist or group who is a MusicNL member.

Rising Star of the Year – This award recognizes an artist or group who has released their first commercial recording(s) within the dates of the eligibility period. All genres accepted.

Side Musician of the Year – This award recognizes the accomplishments of a recording/performing musician within the dates of the eligibility period. This award is given to an individual and does not require a MusicNL membership.

Solo Artist of the Year – Solo artists qualify for this award. All genres accepted. Must meet the eligibility criteria.

Ron Hynes Songwriter of the Year – To be considered for songwriter of the year, songwriters must submit three songs that were released within the eligibility period. In collaborations, at least the indented nominee songwriter must be from Newfoundland and Labrador and fit the eligibility criteria. However the artist or groups performing the songs do not need to be from Newfoundland and Labrador. It is also required that songs must be registered with SOCAN.

GENRE SPECIFIC CATEGORIES

These awards are designed to recognize recordings by artists or groups in the genre they submitted in. A single award is presented in each category. Artists and groups must meet the eligibility criteria listed above to apply for a genre specific award.

Alternative Artist/Group of the Year – This award recognizes a recording by an artist or group who is outside of the musical mainstream.

Celtic/Traditional Artist/Group of the Year – This award recognizes a recording in any style of Celtic and traditional music (eg: Cajun, Celtic, Irish, Scottish, indigenous etc.).

Classical Artist/Group of the Year – This award recognizes classical recordings from soloists, chamber ensembles, instrumental ensembles, instrumental soloists with large ensemble or chamber ensemble accompaniment (can be instrumental or vocal).

Country Artist/Group of the Year – This award recognizes a recording in any style of country music including Alt-country, Traditional country, Western swing, Bluegrass, etc.

Electronic Artist/Group of the Year – This award recognizes a recording by an artist or group that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology at the root of its production.

Folk Artist/Group of the Year – This award recognizes a recording in any style of folk music including Indie folk, Progressive folk, Contemporary folk, Americana, etc.

Inspirational Artist/Group of the Year – This award recognizes a recording in any style of inspirational, traditional gospel, or contemporary faith-based music (eg. country, pop, rock, soul, bluegrass, classical, etc.)

Instrumental Artist/Group of the Year – This award recognizes a recording by an artist or group who releases instrumental music in any genre. To be considered “Instrumental”, at least 75% of the tracks submitted must be without lyrics.

Jazz/Blues Artist/Group of the Year – This award recognizes a recording in any styles of jazz or blues including Bop, Swing, Vocal Jazz, World Fusion, Latin Jazz, Funk, Soul, etc.

Loud Artist/Group of the Year – This award recognizes a recording in a ‘Heavy’ or ‘loud’ genre, which encompasses such genres as Hardcore, Metal, Punk, or other sub-genres.

Pop Artist/Group of the Year – This award recognizes a recording in any style of pop music including Dance-pop, Electropop, Ambient pop, Bubblegum pop, Contemporary pop, etc.

Rap/Hip-Hop Artist of the Year – This award recognizes a recording in any styles of rap/hip-hop music including Trap, Freestyle rap, Gangsta rap, Boom bap, Mumble rap, Melodic rap, etc .

Rock Artist/Group of the Year – This award recognizes a recording in any styles of rock music including Garage rock, Glam rock, Indie rock, New wave, Psychedelic rock, Roots rock, Soft rock, Surf rock, etc.

PLEASE NOTE: MusicNL supports all genres equally and encourages members from other non-listed genres to contact info@musicnl.ca to discuss submitting a new genre. In doing so, members can create a new category for their genre pending having enough eligible releases in said category. If only one artist/group is nominated in a particular category then that category will be removed from current year’s ballot no matter what the genre. That artist/group will remain eligible for the same category in the following year. The group/artist can only be carried over one year. The category is then dropped from the ballot.

INDUSTRY AWARD CATEGORIES

Industry Award nominees are submitted through the MusicNL website, and then selected by a committee comprised of Newfoundland and Labrador music industry professionals. A single award is presented in each category. If a MusicNL member is interested in suggesting a nominee for these awards please contact info@musicnl.ca.

Event of the Year -This award recognizes an event held during the eligibility period  in which live Newfoundland and Labrador musical performances are featured. The event must take place in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Graphic Artist of the Year – This award recognizes the contribution of a Graphic Artist or company to the development of artists or groups in the industry in Newfoundland and Labrador. The individual or company is not required to be a MusicNL member.

Industry Professional of the Year – This award recognizes the outstanding contribution of a music industry professional from any field to the development of the music industry in Newfoundland and Labrador such as managers, promoters, grant writers, publicists, etc. The award goes to an individual. The individual is not required to be a MusicNL member.

Media Person of the Year – This award recognizes the outstanding support from an individual from the media (broadcasting, publishing, podcast etc.) in the promotion of Newfoundland and Labrador artists. The award goes to the individual. The individual is not required to be a MusicNL member.

Music Educator of the Year – This award recognizes excellence in music education in Newfoundland and Labrador. The award goes to an individual. The individual is not required to be a MusicNL member.

Outstanding Company of the Year – This award recognizes the outstanding contribution of a company to the development of the music industry in Newfoundland and Labrador. The company is not required to be a MusicNL member.

Venue of the Year – This award recognizes a club, soft seat theatre, arena, or any venue that features live Newfoundland and Labrador performances. The venue must be located in Newfoundland and Labrador.  The company is not required to be a MusicNL member.

Volunteer of the Year – This award recognizes an individual who has made a difference in the Newfoundland and Labrador music industry through volunteering. The award goes to the individual. Individual does not have to be a MusicNL member.

SUBMISSION ADJUDICATION AND MEMBERSHIP VOTING

Once all submissions are received, MusicNL staff examine all applications to ensure they qualify for the categories for which they have been submitted. MusicNL then has a panel of jurors evaluate submissions based on a scoring rubric. Jurors are selected from a wide variety of sources, and are selected based on their expertise in the music industry.  

Once the jurying process has selected a minimum of two (2) to a maximum of six (6) nominees for each category, all MusicNL members in GOOD STANDING can vote for their choice in each category. Student and Individual memberships each come with one vote per award, Non-Profit, Business, and Venue memberships get 3 votes per award, and Group memberships get 4 votes per award. Voting for the Fans’ Choice Awards Entertainer of the Year is open to a public vote, in concert with the Fan’s Choice Award presenting sponsor.

The final score will be made up of 75% juror score and 25% member vote. Awards are presented during MusicNL Celebration Week.