The Nomination Process

The Blues Music Awards honor those professional artists and recordings that stand out within the eligibility period, which runs from November 1 through October 31. In addition to the awards for the past year’s top recordings, additional categories honor individual, actively touring artists for their overall excellence and accomplishment in that year.

Each September, The Blues Foundation solicits from the labels--even the single artist label--a list of their eligible recordings. If you are a record label or blues musician who released a CD during the period November 1, 2007 to October 31, 2008, go to http://www.blues.org/labels/ to submit your release for consideration by the nominators. As per the more detailed explanation below, your CD is eligible by the fact of its release, but it sure doesn't hurt to add it to this list for the convenience of the nominators. Does that mean we want every act that released a CD during the period to submit? Probably not, but whether your release has a legitimate shot at a Blues Music Award nomination--that is your call. This part of the process will end in mid October.

The resulting list is made is made available to the 100-125 (anonymous to the public) nominators for Round 1 of the nomination process. This list is used to help the nominators remember the eligible releases, but a release is eligible--whether on the list or not--if it was released during the November 1-October 31 period.

The nominators are carefully-screened Blues experts, consisting of Blues radio programmers, print media representatives, retailers, educators, photographers, festival presenters, talent buyers, and other Blues aficionados who attend many live performances and actively listen to the majority of Blues recordings issued in any given year. The nominators are chosen from the Blues Foundation’s membership, with a focus on geographical balance and extent of involvement within the Blues genre. Most are from the United States, but we currently also have nominators from Canada, Europe and Central America.

Beginning around November 1, Round 1 nominators are asked to make up to three selections in each of The Blues Music Awards 25 categories. Nominators may make selections in every category or only in those categories about which they feel most informed and knowledgeable.

After Round 1 is completed, the Nomination Committee reviews the entries to ensure that nominations are in the correct category and indeed meet the eligibility requirements. Generally, artists, songs, and albums receiving three or more nominations are submitted for Round 2 consideration.

To avoid potential conflicts, those with a vested interest in any song or artist are excluded from further involvement in the nomination process. Each Round 2 nominator is again asked to select up to three of the remaining releases or artists in each category. At the conclusion of Round 2, the entries are again reviewed for category accuracy and eligibility and the top five nominees per category are placed on the final ballot. In the case of a tie, more than five nominees may be on the ballot.

The final ballot is made available online in mid-December and the voting by The Blues Foundation membership begins then and generally continues to March 1. Make sure the fans of your music are members so they can vote.

We encourage artists, label representatives, managers, or anyone else wishing to be involved in The Blues Music Awards process, or any other important function concerning the Blues or the “business of Blues,” to first get to know The Blues Foundation. Frequent this website and become a member of The Blues Foundation to keep up to date on the submission procedures, deadlines, etc. for The Blues Music Awards and other important events.