Award nominees agree to the policies below as part of the nomination and submission process.
Anyone can nominate potential recipients of each award. Creating an online login is required. AWA members are invited to help; self-nomination is allowed.
A description of what each award is recognizing and what information needs to be submitted is provided online on the awards page, and at the top of the online submission form.
All current professional members of the Academy are eligible to submit materials for consideration. This is defined as having an unexpired professional membership that began after August 7, 2024.
If the award is for a duo/group, or for a musical recording produced by a duo/group (single, EP, or album), at least one member of the group must be a current professional member before the submission will be considered complete, and this member will need to complete the submission. The other group members must be either current professional or associate members of the Academy. Group profiles can be created through any group member's online account by providing the group name, contact info, and the names of the other group members. It is recommended that you create the group profile first, then submit for an award as a group.
For awards recognizing an artist, producer, and mix engineer (such as single, EP, and album awards): If the producer and/or mix engineer want to be a part of the award (publicly recognized in press releases, listed on our website as participating in the award-winning recording, etc.), they will need to join the Academy as either a professional or associate member. However, if they are willing to forgo that recognition, they can also skip the Academy membership.
For awards recognizing an artist and director (music video awards): If the director wishes to be a part of the award (publicly recognized in press releases, listed on our website as participating in the award-winning recording, etc.), he or she will need to join the Academy as either a professional or associate member. However, if the director is willing to forgo that recognition, they can also skip the Academy membership.
All award consideration materials must be submitted online, through the professional member's online account page. Supporting materials in digital form will be uploaded through a special link provided to the applicant. This link will be sent via email and will be available in the account interface under the list of submissions (see "Submissions").
There is no submission fee for an award.
Awards for artists and Western culture industry professionals are limited to one submission per award year per nominee. This includes awards such as male vocalist, female vocalist, duo/group, male cowboy poet, female cowboy poet, saddlemaker, music promoter, etc.
Awards for artistic products (album, single, song, EP, poem, Western short story, etc.) are limited to three submissions per award year per nominee. Please choose your best work to submit for judging.
Each artistic product (album, single, song, EP, Western short story, etc.) must be submitted separately. The same title cannot be submitted for judging in multiple awards.
For the 2025 award year, submissions will begin July 22, 2026. All online forms and supporting materials must be submitted by August 29, 2026. Incomplete submissions will not be moved to the next phase of the award process.
Works submitted for the Academy's 2025 awards must have been first commercially released, published, or aired during the 2025 calendar year. (Commercial publication is defined as having value. The author must either be paid, or the publication must be purchased through a subscription or other sales venue, or earn revenue through advertising sales.) We cannot accept later editions or reprints of a book or musical release published prior to the previous year. Details can be found under the description of each award.
If an audiobook is entered in any of the book award categories, a copy of the manuscript must be submitted as well.
All books must have an ISBN. Self-published books are eligible.
The awards process involves multiple stages (Nomination > Submission> Voting 1 > Voting 2 > Judging). The first voting stage (Voting 1) gives all Academy members (professional, associate, and fan) access to your relevant information for consideration, such as the audio files of your single, EP, or album to listen to; the text of your book to read; the video of your film to watch; or the photos of your work to examine. If you are not comfortable giving Academy members such access, do not apply for an award. Files will be presented in a way that prevents downloading.
No printed materials (books, etc.) or digital files of books, albums, videos, photographs, or other materials submitted will be returned. Artisan finalists who bring their work for onsite judging will take it home with them. The Academy is not responsible for the transport of artisan products, nor is it liable for any lost work.
Finalists for each award will be announced in the fall. Winners will be announced at the relevant awards ceremony to be held later in the year.
Finalists for a musical award may be asked to perform at the relevant awards ceremony and related shows, but the Academy makes no promises of or commitments to such bookings.
The Academy will give only one complimentary physical award for each award category; however, additional physical awards may be purchased by the recognized parties.
The Academy will not ship a physical award to absentee winners, and a representative may not accept an award on the winner's behalf unless in extreme circumstances.
The Academy reserves the right to withhold an award in any category where the quality or number of entries does not meet the Academy's standards.
By applying, the applicant gives the Academy express consent to applicant's name being included in press releases and other media usage in any and all media for any purpose at any time throughout the world. Award winners give their consent to their actual or simulated likeness being included for no fee within any film, photograph, audio, and/or audiovisual recording to be exploited in any and all media for any purpose at any time throughout the world.
Updated July 10, 2026