Awards Process

Awards are retrospective for work/artistic output in the preceding calendar year. Key dates are outlined below.

1. Nominations for awards (recognizing calendar year 2025 work) ended Sept. 6, 2026
   • Anyone can nominate potential recipients of each award.
   • All nominations will be submitted online.
   • AWA members are invited to nominate. Invitation will come via an email explaining the process.
   • Self-nomination is allowed.
   • Anyone who submitted information for 2025 work under our former process will be considered to have self-nominated.
2. Submissions by nominees (recognizing calendar year 2025 work) ended Sep. 13, 2026
   • Nominated artists are eligible to submit information.
   • Submissions will be made online, and will include all relevant information for consideration, such as publication information for a book; video footage, photographs, music, and testimonials for male/female vocalist & duo/group awards; audio files for song and recording of the year; photographs of artworks, saddles, and other items; etc.
   • Completed submissions and Academy professional membership are required in order for a nomination to move forward to the voting stage.
   • There is no application fee to submit information for award consideration.
3. Voting 1: by members (recognizing calendar year 2025 work): Sep. 26 to Oct. 4, 2026
   • Each Academy member (professional, associate, and fan) can vote for one of the award nominees in each category.
   • Voting will take place via online login.
   • Voters will have access to all information submitted for consideration.
   • We reserve the right to withhold an award in any category where the quality or number of nominees with submissions does not meet the Academy's standards.
   • If an award is not presented in a certain year due to lack of nominees or submissions, submissions on file will be carried over for up to 3 years.
4. Voting 2: by peers (for calendar year 2025 work): Oct. 9 to Oct. 19, 2026
   • Current professional members of the Academy will vote on all awards in their own areas of work, with one vote per award.
   • Voting will take place via online login.
   • Voters will have access to all information submitted for consideration.
   • Submissions receiving no votes in Voting 1 are not moved forward to Voting 2, unless there are five or fewer submissions for that award.
   • Submissions will be ranked based on the vote total from Voting 1, as information for Voting 2.
   • Three finalists for each award will be announced. Ties in voting may lead to a higher number of finalists.
5. Judging: by a panel of expert judges
   • Winners will be chosen from the three finalists by a panel of expert judges.
   • Judges will have access to all information submitted for consideration.
   • Winners will be announced and awards presented at one or more public awards ceremonies November 21, 2026.