CMA Awards Nomination Criteria Explained
It’s inevitable. Year after year when the CMA Award nominations are announced, some fans question the nomination criteria because many feel their favorite artist(s), has been snubbed. We figured it would be helpful to clear the air a bit by explaining the voting procedure and nomination criteria so fans could better understand the process.
The CMA Awards winners are chosen through three rounds of voting by members of the Country Music Association.
[rmore type=”more”]Click the MORE button to view the criteria for the 12 CMA Awards categories…[/rmore]
The criteria for each of the CMA Awards categories is listed below.*
Category 1 – ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
This Award is for the act displaying the greatest competence in all aspects of the entertainment field. Voter should give consideration not only to recorded performance, but also to the in-person performance, staging, public acceptance, attitude, leadership, and overall contribution to the Country Music image. Award to artist.
Category 2 – SINGLE OF THE YEAR
This Award is for individual tracks only. This category will include both digital releases as well as physical releases. The track must have reached the Top 50 of Billboard’s Hot Country Singles & Tracks Chart, Country Aircheck Chart or Music Row Country Breakout Chart for the first time during the eligibility period. If the single charted in the Top 50 on the above charts and was released prior to the eligibility period but achieved its highest chart position during the eligibility period, it is eligible unless it has previously appeared on a Final Ballot in this category.
Category 3 – ALBUM OF THE YEAR
This Award is for an album as a whole unit. The album should be judged on all aspects including, but not limited to, artist’s performance, musical background, engineering, packaging, design, art, layout and liner notes. At least 75% of the product in the album must have first achieved national prominence during the eligibility period. Award to artist and producer.
Category 4 – SONG OF THE YEAR
This Award is for the songwriter(s). Any Country Music song with original words and music is eligible based upon the song’s Country singles chart activity during the eligibility period. In this category, the Second Ballot will contain the eligible nominations from the First Ballot and the top five songs from the combined tabulation of the Country Singles Charts from Billboard’s Hot Country Singles, Country Aircheck Chart and Music Row Country Breakout Chart. Award to songwriter.
Category 5 – FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
This Award is based on individual musical performance on a solo album release. Award to artist.
Category 6 – MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
This Award is based on individual musical performance on a solo album release. Award to artist.
Category 7 – VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
A group is defined as an act, composed of three (3) or more people, all of whom normally perform together and none of whom is known primarily as an individual performing artist. This Award is based on the musical performance of the group as a unit on an album. The Award is to the group.
Category 8 – VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR
A duo is defined as an act composed of two people, both of whom normally perform together and neither of whom is known primarily as an individual performing artist. This Award is based on the musical performance of the duo as a unit on an album. The Award is to the duo.
Category 9 – MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR
An event is defined as a collaboration of two or more people either or all of whom are known primarily as individual artists. They must have performed together, as a unit, on a single or album released domestically within the eligibility period with each artist prominently featured. Live performance events are not eligible. Award to each artist.
Cateogry 10 – MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR
This Award is for a musician known primarily as an instrumental performer. In order to qualify, a musician must have played on at least one album or single that has appeared in the Top 10 of the Country album or singles charts from Billboard’s Hot Country Singles & Tracks Chart, Music Row Country Breakout Chart or Country Aircheck Chart during the eligibility period. Award to the musician.
Category 11 – MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR
This Award is for an original music video not more than ten (10) minutes in length featuring the performance of not more than one (1) song or medley. The video must have been first nationally broadcast in its entirety during the eligibility period. The video should be judged on all audio and video elements including, but not limited to, the artist’s performance, video concept and production. Award to artist and director.
Category 12 – NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
This Award is to the artist, whether individual or a group, who is known primarily as a Country artist, who has for the first time demonstrated the most significant creative growth and development in overall chart or sales activity (of a debut or sophomore album), live performance, professionalism and/or national media recognition related to the launch of their career. Any artist who has previously won a CMA Award (except Song of the Year, Musical Event of the Year and Video of the Year) or who has twice been a final nominee for the Horizon Award or New Artist of the Year Award is ineligible for nomination. Award to artist.
*The criteria listed is according to CMA Awards.com for the 44th Annual CMA Awards. The website has not been updated to reflect the 45th Annual CMA Awards criteria, therefore it is not known if any changes have been made.
