HONOURS SUBMISSION GUIDELINES AND FAQS

WOMEN IN MUSIC CANADA HONOURS SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Women in Music Canada Honours are designed to celebrate and support women Canadian innovators and creators who have outstanding success in their field in the eligibility year (December 2021 through December 2022 for annual based categories). 

Applicants must submit interest through WIMCanada’s application form by the deadline (Monday, January 16, 2023 at 11:59 PM ET). This may be done by the prospective honouree or another Canadian colleague. 

Women in Music Canada values diversity, equity and inclusion, and welcomes applications from innovators and creators  from diverse backgrounds.

NOMINATION AND SELECTION PROCESS

Candidates from all areas of the music industry and all genres of music are welcome to apply. Eligible applications will be considered by a jury of professional Canadian music industry leaders and creators appointed by Women in Music Canada. Excellence demonstrated through Industry success and artistic merit will be an overriding consideration in the adjudication, in addition to thoughtful demonstration of how the Honour would help advance the applicant’s career. The jury committee reserves the right to categorize a submission at their sole discretion if they feel the applicant is more suited to a different Honour. All jury’s decisions are final.

Each submission will be screened upon completion to ensure that it is complete and meets all eligibility requirements. Any submissions that are incomplete or ineligible will be disqualified. 

2023 Honours Jury Members

Each jury member adjudicated one to three categories, with care to not be reviewing categories in which they had conflict of interest. 

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Submissions can be made by the Industry professional or artist themselves or can be nominated on their behalf. All Honours submissions must be for a person who meets the eligibility criteria below, however the submitter does not need to meet these criteria. 

To be eligible to be considered, an applicant must:

• Be a woman, or gender diverse individual;
• Be a citizen, landed immigrant or legal resident of Canada, or be able to show proof of residence in Canada for at least 6 months in the eligibility time frame. The exception to this is the International Honour.
• Submit a complete application with all required supporting materials by the deadline;
• Not be a current board member or employee of Women In Music Canada; 

A group of individuals (such as a company, duo or a band) may apply for the Honours together as one applicant, but at least 50% of the individuals in the group must meet all eligibility criteria above for the group to be considered for the Honours. If selected as an Honours recipient, the group will receive ONE trophy and honourarium.

VALUE

Each honouree will receive a physical trophy recognizing their accomplishments, and an honorarium supported by the sponsor of the category. 

All Honours recipients will also be promoted through various public sources recognizing their accomplishments. More details on this to come. 

PROMOTION

Women in Music Canada have the right (but not the obligation, as applicable) to:

• Publish the names of the Awards finalists and recipients on Women In Music Canada and award partner websites, accounts on social media platforms and any other channels; and
• Promote the Award recipients through various platforms and channels that are not within the control of either Organizer, including but not limited to social media platforms, all without any liability, compensation or obligation whatsoever to any applicant.
• Cancel the Honours at any time without awarding any of the award prizes if unforeseen circumstances arise;

RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS

The mandate of Women in Music Canada is to support women and gender diverse artists and companies who reside in Canada a majority of the time and as such contribute to healthy and thriving music communities in the region. As such, all Honours nominees must be residents of Canada for at least six months between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022. 

• For a group,  50% of group members must meet residency requirements. 
• For a company, they must have registration in a Canadian province or national registration with an office / or key staff person (for remote offices) in Canada. 
• For international companies, the Honour goes to the Canadian branch. 
• Proof of residency may be requested.

NOMINATION & SUBMISSION DEADLINE

• Submissions Open: 11:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday, November 22 , 2022
• Submissions Close: 11:59 p.m. ET on Monday, January 16, 2023

 Instructions for Submitting an Entry:

• All complete submission to the awards will be reviewed by the jury. 
• Artists submitting must include links to at least two publicly released songs for adjudication.
• There are no release date requirements for tracks submitted for artist consideration, however review of merit for artistic categories will focus on the year December 1, 2021 through December 31, 2022. 
• All submissions are accepted online only. 
• One submission must be completed for each category submitting to.
• Read all guidelines and category requirements prior to submission to ensure eligibility.
• Please complete submissions accurately and in full. Submitted information is what jurors consider when adjudicating final completed submissions.

It is highly recommended that applications be submitted well before the deadline to ensure there are no unforeseen issues at the time of submission. Late applications due to technical issues within 24 hours of the deadline will not be considered acceptable grounds for late submission and may lead to your application not being considered for the current year.

Nomination Submissions in Successive Years

Submissions can be made for the same person or company in successive years, however an Honouree will not be recognized more than once in the same category.  

READY TO MAKE A SUBMISSION

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. Do I have to be a member of Women in Music Canada to submit to WIMCanada Honours?

No. It is recommended that nominees, and those submitting, be a member of a WIMCanada but is not required.

The Women In Music Canada regional chapters include:     

• Women in Music BC
• Women in Music Manitoba
• Saskatchewan Women in Music
• Women in Music Montreal
• Women in Music Atlantic
• Women in Music Toronto
• Ottawa women & gender non-conforming music community

2. Does having multiple submissions for one candidate increase their chance of being a recipient? 

No. While all submissions will be reviewed by jurors, it does not increase standing to have more submissions. 

3.  How are the jurors selected?

The Women In Music Canada Honours jury will consist of a group of invested music community members who represent different experiences and demographics and are void of conflicts in the process and knowledgeable of the Canadian music industry. 

Women In Music Canada board and staff members are not allowed to sit as jurors or to influence the decisions of the juries.

4.  Why are there not more award categories?

As the inaugural year of the Women in Music Canada Honours, the categories launched are the total eligible for 2023. If you have questions about anything herein, or a new category to propose, please send questions, suggestions or a brief category proposal to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for consideration for subsequent years. 

If you have any questions that are not answered above,  please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

5. What gender identities are eligible?

Women In Music Canada primarily use the term female and women to refer to the community we aim to support. We operate under the name ‘Women In Music Canada' but recognize and acknowledge other female and gender-diverse identities and expressions. It is never our intention to be less than inclusive by using the terms female and women, and we are open to feedback from our constituents regarding the best future use of the language we use both in our operating name and our public promotions. 

If you’d like to share feedback on this or any other part of this document, please contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.