By Saskatchewan Music Awards

Nomination Deadline Extended

2020 Saskatchewan Music Awards

Oct 23, 2020 | 10:59 AM

2020 Saskatchewan Music Award nominations deadline October 30! It’s free for artists and industry professionals to submit yourselves!

SaskMusic is excited to announce the opening of the nomination submission period for the 2020 Saskatchewan Music Awards. The third annual awards will honour excellence in the Saskatchewan music industry and celebrate the achievements of our music industry members over the past year. An awards event announcing the winners will be streamed online on January 24, 2021, in conjunction with the Very Prairie: Saskatchewan Music Summit.​

SaskMusic notes, “We invite artists and industry from across the province to make submissions, and are hoping to see representation that reflects the diverse range of musical styles, cultural backgrounds, and individual experiences of those contributing to the Saskatchewan music scene. It’s an immensely challenging time for our industry, and we look forward to celebrating and sharing the work of our talented artists and industry members from the past year.”​

Submissions for the SMAs will close at 4pm CST on October 30, 2020.

For full rules and eligibility criteria, click here (PDF).​

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ARTISTIC: Artist of the Year Categories

Please note these are very broad categories; although you may not see your specific genre listed, apply in the most appropriate one. If in doubt, please contact us!​

Nominees and winners in these categories will be determined by a combination of artistic merit and career achievements. 3 tracks which have been commercially released during the period of April 15, 2019-October 30, 2020 must be provided in your submission, however there are no sales qualifications for these categories.​

• Alternative Artist of the Year: including but not limited to alt rock, alt pop, plus genres which may be outside of the Hard 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 rap, urban R&B, and neo soul.
• Metal/Loud Artist of the Year: including but not limited to hard rock, metal, punk, heavy alternative, and heavy instrumental.
• Rock/Pop Artist of the Year: including but not limited to those considered mainstream, such as rock, pop, blues, and adult contemporary.
• Roots/Folk Artist of the Year: including but not limited to singer/songwriter, traditional blues, and Americana.
• Indigenous Artist of The Year: This is a non-genre-specific category open to artists working in any genre who self-identify as Indigenous/Metis/First Nations/Inuit. Eligible submissions may include, for example, those working in commercial contemporary genres, traditional music, or fusions of any genres that incorporate traditional instrumentation/rhythm and/or reflect the Indigenous experience in Canada through lyrical expression.

Artistic: Single of the Year recognizes the top commercial Saskatchewan song of the year released during the period of April 15, 2019-October 30, 2020, 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 period of April 15, 2019-October 30, 2020.​

Artistic: Best Saskatchewan Album of the Year is based on a full-length album, as a whole, released during the period of October 15, 2019-October 30, 2020. All genres of music are included in consideration. An industry jury determines a shortlist of finalists, with the final winner of Album of the Year then determined by public vote.​

INDUSTRY Categories

• Industry Achievement Award: Will recognize excellence in the provision of skills and/or services by those helping to build the music industry of Saskatchewan, during the period April 15, 2019-October 30, 2020.
• Venue of the Year: Will recognize live music venues that are assisting in keeping the music scene alive in Saskatchewan through excellence in programming and community engagement during the period of April 15, 2019-October 30, 2020.
• 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 April 15, 2019-October 30, 2020.

Please carefully review the submission rules and eligibility criteria, then submit!

Submit for Artistic AwardsSubmit for Industry Awards

For updates, visit this page, and make sure you’re subscribed to the SaskMusic E-Release.

Important dates

October 30, 2020 4pm – SMA Nominations deadline
November 30, 2020 – SMA Nominees announcement; public voting for BSA begins
December 13, 2020 – BSA voting closes
December 16-18, 2020 – BSA top ten rollout, tentative
January 18-24, 2021 – Saskatchewan Music Week
January 24, 2021 – 2020 Saskatchewan Music Awards​​​

Questions? Contact SaskMusic at 1-800-347-0676 (toll free within Sask) or 306-347-0676.