The Women in Music Canada Honours are designed to celebrate and support Canadian women, innovators, and creators across diverse genres who have achieved exceptional success in their field during the year of eligibility (December 2024 to December 2025 for the annual categories).

Nominations must be submitted via the WIMCanada nomination form by the deadline (Friday, November 28, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. PST). Nominations may be submitted by the potential recipient or another Canadian colleague. Only one nomination is required to be considered. If multiple nominations are received for the same individual, they will be combined into a single nomination for review by the jury. The recipients will be announced at a reception dinner and presentation on March 5, 2026. Stay tuned for further details on the event and ticketing.

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

Please read carefully as changes have been made to clarify certain criteria starting in 2025.

This award recognizes a woman or gender-diverse artist whose music demonstrates excellence and has had an exceptional year following radio chart success, media exposure, industry recognition, and/or touring success. Artists considered for this category may be at any stage of their musical career, with success within the award's eligibility period serving as the primary metric for selection. Artists may only be honoured once in this category.

The recipient of this award will be selected based on the results shared by the jury and an open vote by Women in Music Canada members.

Recipients in the following categories will be selected from the results of a diverse jury of industry leaders from among the members of Women in Music Canada.

This award recognizes a woman or gender-diverse industry member who creates change through leadership (aligning collective direction and motivating people toward strategic goals) and mentorship (supporting and sharing expertise with other women and gender-diverse professionals to achieve their goals).

While the recipient may own a business, this is not a requirement, and the recognition is specifically for their leadership initiative and successes. Active engagement with the music community must be visible on an ongoing basis. Testimonials, past accomplishments, and current projects may all be included in this submission. Submissions will be judged primarily on professional activity occurring within one year of the submission deadline, but information on the long-term initiative may be submitted.

This award is presented to a company that has made significant progress in workplace diversity. The award recognizes the success of a business owner who is a woman and/or a gender-diverse individual. This award can be for a company of any size. While the company's achievements can be a compilation of teamwork, and the award can recognize a partnership (two individuals), only one physical award is presented.

This category is recognized annually, but is not limited to the entrepreneur's work during the eligible year. It recognizes their entrepreneurial career to date.

This award recognizes a woman or gender-diverse music professional working in a live production or touring environment who has made a significant impact in their field: this includes tour management/operations/promotions, talent buyers, venue owners or music event producers, tour management, backstage, road crew, and other related support roles. The winner will be the one who prioritizes gender equity in their lineup and crew. This award is not intended for artists based on their live performance.

This honour celebrates a woman or gender-diverse music producer who has made a significant impact through both the quality of their work and their commitment to gender equity and safe studio environments. Submissions must include three audio tracks* released within the submission period (December 2024 - December 2025), on which the nominee holds a primary producer or co-producer credit. Tracks may come from the same record. International projects are eligible if the submitting producer is Canadian.

This award recognizes an international woman or gender diverse industry member who is making significant strides in their country/city. The recipient's work may be considered significant on the global stage or for the community they serve.

This distinction honours a Canadian woman or gender diverse industry member who is making significant strides outside of Canada. The recipient's work may be considered significant on the global stage or for the community they serve. This honour may be awarded to an artist, but is not performance-based. The focus should be on their work beyond their performance and in service to a community.

This honour is awarded to a company that has made significant progress in workplace equity. The award is intended to recognize a company owned or led primarily by women and/or gender-diverse individuals, but it can also recognize allies within the organization. This award can be a company of any size. While the company's achievements can be a compilation of the team's work, only one physical award is presented.

This category will recognize up to five women/gender-diverse individuals who have made a significant impact in paving the way for a more equitable community. This award is primarily intended for members who have worked in the industry for more than 20 years.

Nominations will not be announced for this category. Only the recipients will be announced.

This award will recognize up to five women/industry members from diverse genres or creative individuals who are in the early stages of their careers and demonstrating success and growth in their work. This is a list of people to watch in the coming years. This honor aims to highlight new voices in the Canadian music industry.

Nominations will not be announced for this category. Only the recipients will be announced.