TORONTO, ON – March 6, 2024 – Last evening, Women In Music Canada announced the recipients of the 2024 WIMC Honours. The second annual event, held at The Phoenix Concert Theatre, celebrated Canadian innovators and creators who have had outstanding success in their field this past year. The Honours event kicks off three days of action-packed activities for Women In Music Canada with the WIM Canada Summit taking place the next two days, March 6 and 7, at the Allied Music Centre in Toronto. The two-day event will be full of speaker sessions, workshops and networking opportunities, with more information available (here). 

Last night, Women In Music Honours were presented to 18 remarkable individuals across the following categories: Artist of the Year presented by Amazon Music, Change Maker of the Year presented by National Arts Centre, Entrepreneur of the Year presented by Believe and TuneCore, Excellence in Live Music, International Leader of the Year, Organization of the Year, Career Achievement Honour (formerly Trailblazer), and the Women In Music Rising Leader (formerly the Honour Roll). The Career Achievement Honour recognizes five industry professionals who have been making waves for 20+ years, while the Women In Music Rising Leader recognizes five emerging industry professionals and creators. The reception also introduced a one time special award, the Founders Honour, which recognized industry veteran, Samantha Slattery, Founder of Women in Music Canada.

2024       Honours       Recipients: (Annual Based Categories: December ‘22 – December ‘23)

Artist of the Year presented by Amazon Music – The Beaches

Changemaker of the Year presented by the National Arts Centre – Erin Benjamin

Entrepreneur of the Year presented by Believe and TuneCore – Lisa Patterson

Excellence in Live Music – Mira Silvers, FORT Agency

Founders  Honour  –  Samantha  Slattery

International Achievement Leader of the Year – Maylee Todd

Organization of the Year – Music Nova Scotia

Rising Leader Awards:

Ayo Leliani – Witch Prophet

Angie Randisi - Recording Engineer

Good and Plenty Producers Club

Katrina Kernaghan - TikTok Canada Head of Music

Seny Kassaye - Co-owner of FORT Agency

Career Achievement Honours:

Katrina Lopes - President of KL Management

Melissa Langley - DJ MelBoogie 

Lisa Zbitnew - President and Owner / Operator of The Phoenix Concert Theatre and Bronsen Centre Music Theatre

Shauna de Cartier - Label co-owner and manager Six Shooter Records

Susan Rosenberg - Sr. Vice President Marketing Global

Touring at Live Nation Yvonne Matsell - Promoter

Read more about each of the honourees here.

"This year’s awards program garnered over 350 submissions of strong women and gender diverse leaders," comments Robyn Stewart, Executive Director of Women In Music. "It’s an incredible indication of the supreme change makers who are paving the way and moving the needle on equity. I am humbled by all Nominees and Honourees celebrated tonight. Thank you also to the jury members who did not have an easy job of narrowing down those who would be Honoured this year. I look forward to continuing to support the great work being done in this community."

The 2024 nominees were determined by a jury of 26 industry professionals and the WIMC of Directors Honours Committee. Submissions for consideration were made by the prospective honouree or another Canadian colleague. The final recipients were adjudicated by a finalist jury, with the exception of two categories – Artist of the Year, presented by Amazon Music, and Change Maker of the Year (formerly Distinguished Leader), presented by the National Arts Centre – which were decided on by open vote within the music community.

Emceed by Saroja Coelho, host of Just Asking on CBC Radio, and Mornings on CBC Music, the Honours reception also featured performances by an incredible group of artists including JUNO-nominated South African-Canadian singer-songwriter, Zaki Ibrahim, and “Canada’s Queen of Boogie” Maya Killtron, 2024 Polaris Music Prize finalist and JUNO-nominated breakout alt-diva, Begonia, self-taught R&B rising star, Charmie, and Toronto’s own DJ Jayemkayem.

Presenters for the evening included - Amanda Rheaume (artist and co-owner of Ishkode Records), Alejandra Olea (Believe’s Managing Director for the Americas), Maddy Oliver (Canadian Live Music Association), Liana White (Canadian Federation of Musicians Executive Director), Joelle Bertrand and Miranda Bonavia (Amazon Music), Kristy Fletcher (MusiCounts President), Samantha Chong (SONY Music Senior Manager of Artist Marketing) and Jamelia Campbell (CARAS Senior Manager of Marketing and Communications).

Thank you to the generous support of Ontario Creates for their support of the evening's artist showcase. We also want to recognize our incredible Honours partners – Amazon Music, TuneCore, National Arts Centre, as well as gifting partners - Paris Jewellers, Bash Boutique, I Am Love Project, Long and McQuade, Malow and refreshment partners Fielding Winery and Partake. Thank you to all of our sponsors who made it possible for us to come together this evening to recognize and celebrate artists and innovators across Canada.

Women in Music Canada Honours, March 5, 2024

Submissions now CLOSED for the Women in Music Canada Honours. We will see you March 5, 2024 for the WIM Canada Honours Night. 

Women in Music Canada Honours program is designed to celebrate and support Women and Gender Diverse Canadian innovators and creators who have outstanding success in their field in the eligibility year (December 2022 through December 2023 for annual based categories). 

Submissions must be made through WIMCanada’s application form by the deadline (Monday, December 11, 2023 at 11:59 PM ET). Submissions may be made by the prospective honouree or another Canadian colleague. Only one submission is required to be considered. If multiple submissions are received for the same person, they will be combined to one submission for the jury review. The Honours recipients will be announced at a reception dinner and showcase program March 5, 2024.  

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

ELIGIBILITY AND GUIDELINES 

WOMEN IN MUSIC CANADA HONOURS CATEGORY DESCRIPTIONS 

Artist of the Year presented by Amazon Music

This honour recognizes a woman or gender diverse artist whose music demonstrates excellence with an exceptional year as a result of radio chart successes, media exposure, industry recognition, and/or touring success. Artists considered in this category may be at any stage of their music career, with success in the timeframe of the award eligibility being the primary measure of adjudication. Artists may only be honoured with this category once.

The recipient of this category will be selected from the shared results of jury and open voting by Women in Music Canada membership. 

Change Maker of the Year (Formerly Distinguished Leader) presented by National Arts Centre

This honours a woman or gender diverse industry member who is creating change through their leadership (aligning collective direction and motivating people toward strategic goals) and mentorship (supporting and sharing expertise with other women and gender diverse professionals to reach their goals). 

While the recipient may be a company owner, this is not a requirement and the recognition is intended specifically for their individual leadership initiative and successes. Active engagement with the music community should be visible on an ongoing basis. Testimonials, past achievements, and ongoing projects can all be included in this submission. Submissions will be juried primarily on professional activity occurring within one year of the submission deadline however long term initiative information may be submitted.

The recipient of this category will be selected from the shared results of jury and open voting by Women in Music Canada membership. 

Entrepreneur of the Year presented by Believe and TuneCore

This honour is given to a music industry company owner or co-owner making significant strides in diversity in the workplace. The intent of the award is to recognize the success of a company owned or primarily run by women and/or gender diverse individuals. Their company may be of any size. While the successes may be a compilation of the work of the team, and the honour may recognize a partnership (two individuals) only one physical award is presented. 

Excellence in Live Music 

This honour recognizes a women or gender diverse music professional working in a live production or touring environment making significant impact in their field: Includes tour/operations/promotions management, talent buyers, venue owners, or music event producers, tour assistant, backstage, road crew, and other related support roles. The winner will be one who prioritizes gender equity in their programming and team. This honour is not intended for artists based on their live performance. 

International Leader of the Year 

This honours an international woman or gender diverse industry member, making great strides in their country/city, outside of Canada. The recipient's work may be seen as significant on a world stage, or to the community they serve. This honour is intended for a professional based outside of Canada, regardless of their nationality. 

Organization of the Year

This honour is given to an organization or company making significant strides in equity in the workplace. The intent of the award is to go to an organization or company owned or primarily run by women and/or gender diverse individuals, however it may also commend allies who are part of the company. This may be an organization or company of any size. While the company successes may be a compilation of the work of the team, only one physical award is presented under the name of the organization or company.

Career Achievement Honour  (Formerly Trailblazer)

This category will recognize up to five women / gender diverse industry professionals or creators who have made significant impact paving the way for a more equitable community. This award is intended for folks who have been working in the music industry for 20 + years.  

Women in Music Canada Rising Leader (Formerly Honour Roll)

This category will recognize up to five women / gender diverse industry professionals or creators who are in the early stages of their career and showing success and growth in their work. These are the list of folks to watch for in the coming years. This honour is intended to highlight new Canadian innovators and creators in music.