What are the BMAs?
The Blues Music Awards brings together Blues performers, industry representatives, and fans from all over the world to celebrate the best in Blues recordings and performances from the previous year.
The BMAs are generally recognized as the highest honor given to blues musicians and are awarded by vote of Blues Foundation members.
The become a Blues Foundation voting member, join here.
Nominees and winners of the Blues Music Awards must be in keeping with The Blues Foundation’s values as a welcoming and inclusive organization,
as reflected in our Statement Against Racism.
Blues Music Awards Process
The 43rd Blues Music Awards submission process is closed.
Any blues recording released between November 1, 2020 and October 31, 2021 is eligible for 2022 Blues Music Award consideration.
The submission process for Blues Music Award consideration begins with artists and record companies submitting entries in the following ways:
- The Blues Foundation accepts CDs through the year and logs them based on their release dates. All recordings sent directly to The Blues Foundation will be put on a master list for future communications regarding our submission process.
- The Blues Foundation opens the formal submission process on or about July 1st of each year. The Blues Foundation has moved to a digital platform for recording submissions. Your complete album or minimum 6-song EP music must be uploaded as a WAV file with album artwork uploaded as either JPEG or PDF files. We will no longer accept hard copy CDs for the purposes of BMA submission review.
Artists may submit a single for Song of the Year consideration that has been professionally released to the public between November 1, 2020 – October 31, 2021, and is not part of a larger EP or full album release. To submit a single for Song of the Year, you must contact Joe Whitmer at [email protected] directly. Singles may not be directly uploaded to the online submission platform without a special code.
The submission process closed on October 15, 2021.
You must upload your music and artwork and complete payment for your submission transaction no later than OCTOBER 15TH to be considered for a Blues Music Award nomination. All music must be uploaded as a WAV file with album artwork uploaded as a JPEG or PDF file. If you need assistance with uploading your music, contact Joe Whitmer at [email protected] will be available to help you and walk you through the process. The submission process officially closes on October 15, 2021 at 8:00am CST. You must upload your music and artwork and complete payment for your submission transaction no later than OCTOBER 15 to be considered for a Blues Music Award.
The nominators work through two rounds in order to come up with between four and six final nominees in each category. During the first round, each nominator distributes 6 total points to their top choices within each category, with no more than 2 total points given to any single entry. The top entries in each category move into Round 2. The Blues Foundation does not publicize which recordings and/or artists move to Round 2. The nominators then repeat the point distribution for each category in a second round ballot and those artists and recordings receiving the most total points in each category become the final Nominees for Blues Music Awards.
Final nominees will be announced in early January 2022.
Results of members’ voting are not known until the Blues Music Awards presentation ceremony when names of the winners are revealed to the public.
Winners will be announced during the 43rd Blues Music Awards in 2022.
2022 Blues Music Awards Categories and Definitions:
That performer who has best represented and promoted the blues through recordings and performances during the eligibility period.
The best blues album in any style released to the public during the eligibility period.
(May be an album nominated in another category)
That group, recording and/or performing as a unit, which best exemplifies blues ensemble playing during the eligibility period.
This award is presented to the songwriter for a first-ever recording of a song initially released to the public during the eligibility period which best portrays the blues by means of theme, structure, and overall feeling.
That blues recording that was released during the eligibility period for an act that has not received a prior Blues Music Award or GRAMMY® award nomination. The age of the artist is not of significance, but this award is intended for an artist who is up and coming within the blues/music scene and is at the “jumping off” point of his or her career. An artist’s album may not be considered in this category if that artist has already had a professional release of more than three prior albums or EPs. (Albums submitted for this category may also be submitted in other appropriate categories.)
That album released during the eligibility period that best represents acoustic blues, in which non-electric/amplified instruments are prominently featured on at least 75% of the tracks.
That album released to the public during the eligibility period with a majority of songs that best portrays the Blues Rock genre, that hybrid that combines elements of blues with elements of rock, generally employing heavy amplification and driving rhythms, and which may employ non-traditional blues song structures.
That album released to the public during the eligibility period that best portrays blues in which elements other than those traditionally found in blues are part of the mix, e.g., different rhythms, different harmonies, more elaborate production values, etc., and which may offer a different approach to sounds, lyrics, instrumentation, arrangements, etc.
That album released to the public during the eligibility period that best portrays Southern Soul Blues, a type of soul music that emerged from the Southern United States. The music originates from a combination of styles, including blues (both 12 bar and jump) with a strong gospel influence.
That album released to the public during the eligibility period with a majority of songs that best portrays Traditional Electric Blues employing traditional blues song structures, harmonic structures and rhythms, and which may also employ instruments such as electric guitar, piano, organ, amplified harmonica, electric bass and drums. This category includes subgenres such as jump/swing blues and Chicago blues.
That performer, whether male or female, whose recordings and/or performance during the eligibility period best represent Acoustic Blues.
That performer, whether male or female, whose recordings and/or performance during the eligibility period best portray Blues Rock.
That female performer whose recordings and/or performances during the eligibility period best portray Contemporary Blues.
That male performer whose recordings and/or performances during the eligibility period best portray Contemporary Blues.
That female performer whose recordings and/or performance during the eligibility period best portray Southern Soul Blues.
That male performer whose recordings and/or performance during the eligibility period best portray Southern Soul Blues.
That female performer whose recordings and/or performance during the eligibility period best portray Traditional Electric Blues.
That male performer whose recordings and/or performance during the eligibility period best portray Traditional Electric Blues.
That musician whose skills on the bass in performance and/or on recordings during the eligibility period best portray the blues.
That musician whose skills on the drums in performance and/or on recordings during the eligibility period best portray the blues.
That musician whose skills on the guitar in performance and/or on recordings during the eligibility period best portray the blues.
That musician whose skills on the harmonica in performance and/or on recordings during the eligibility period best portray the blues.
That individual whose skills on any horn (including brass and woodwind instruments) in performance and/or on recordings during the eligibility period best portray the blues.
That musician whose skills on the keyboards in performance and/or on recordings during the eligibility period best portray the blues.
That musician whose vocal skills in performance and/or on recordings during the eligibility period best portray the blues. This category is open to all vocalists on recordings and stage as well as to vocalists who also play an instrument.
That blues album or collection released during the eligibility period, with all recordings at least five years or older, which serves to preserve historical blues recording and/or performance. In addition to recording and performance content, liner notes and general packaging of the content will be taken into consideration. Submissions for this category are reviewed by a special committee of blues historians, journalists, and ethnomusicologists. This category is not included as part of the nominations announcement or the BMA ballot.
