The Juno Awards, or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's music industry. They were originally called the Gold Leaf Awards, and the trophy resembled a metronome. Alongside the Canadian Screen Awards, they are considered one of the main annual Canadian entertainment award shows. The first Juno Awards ceremony was held on February 23, 1970 to honour the musical accomplishments of performers for the year 1969. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame are also inducted as part of the awards ceremonies.
The Juno Award for Artist of the Year is an annual award presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) to the best individual musician in Canada. The five nominees in the category are decided through a combination of sales and CARAS member voting, and the recipient is chosen from among these nominees by member voting.
The Juno Award for Album of the Year is an annual award presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for the best album released in Canada. It has been awarded since 1975, though it was the award for Best Selling Album from 1975 to 1979. From 1999 to 2002, it was awarded under the name of Best Album. The award goes to the artist.
The Juno Fan Choice Award is an annual Juno Award presented since 2003 by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) to the favourite artist or group of the year as voted by Canadian music fans. This is the only award that the winner is chosen by the fans. The nominees in the category are determined by sales, and the winner is chosen from among these nominees by an online vote open to the general public. From 2003 to 2011, the list of nominees was limited to five artists or groups, but it was expanded to ten in 2012.
The Juno Award for Breakthrough Artist of the Year is an annual award given by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to the best new musician in Canada. The award has been given since 1974, when it was originally divided into separate awards for men and women under the names Most Promising Female Vocalist of the Year and Most Promising Male Vocalist of the Year. These two awards were merged in 1994 into Best New Solo Artist, which was then changed to New Artist of the Year in 2003, and finally changed to its current title beginning in 2013. The award was customarily presented by the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
The Juno Award for Breakthrough Group of the Year is presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to the best new musical group in Canada. The award has been given annually since 1974, and was previously called Most Promising Group of the Year (1974–1993), Best New Group (1994–2002), and New Group of the Year (2003–2012). The award was customarily presented by the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
The Juno Award for Indigenous Music Album of the Year is an annual award presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for the best album by an Indigenous Canadian artist or band. It was formerly known as Best Music of Aboriginal Canada Recording (1994–2002), Aboriginal Recording of the Year (2003–2009), and Aboriginal Album of the Year (2010–2016). Indigenous artists are not excluded from consideration in other genre or general interest categories; in fact, some indigenous musicians, most notably The Halluci Nation, have actively chosen not to submit their music in the indigenous category at all, instead pursuing nomination only in the more general categories.
The Juno Award for Francophone Album of the Year is an annual award presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) for the best French-language album in Canada. Wanting to add a more inclusive Canadian content to the Award show, Isba Music's Larry Mancini lobbied CARAS to add this award to its roster. It was awarded as the Best Selling Francophone Album, based entirely on album sales, but is now chosen by a jury vote.
The Juno Award for "Country Recording of the Year" has been awarded since 1970, as recognition each year for the best country music artist in Canada. A number of previous award categories have been combined under this name, including "Best Country Male Artist", "Best Country Female Artist" and "Country Group or Duo of the Year".
The Juno Award for "Pop Album of the Year" has been awarded since 1999, as recognition each year for the best pop album in Canada. The category was first named as Best Pop Album but it changed to Best Pop/Adult Album in 2000, the following year it returned to be Best Pop Album from 2001 to 2002, finally in 2003 was changed to Pop Album of the Year and has remained that way since then. Justin Bieber has won the most awards in this category, with 3 wins.
The Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year is presented annually at Canada's Juno Awards to honour the best album of the year in the alternative rock and/or indie rock genres. The award was first presented in 1995 under the name Best Alternative Album, and adopted its current name in 2003.
The Juno Award for "Rock Album of the Year" has been awarded since 1991, as recognition each year for the best rock album in Canada. The award has been called a number of other names, including the "Best Hard Rock/Metal Album" and "Best Rock Album".
Francis Martin Lavergne is a Canadian musician and author. He has recorded and performed under the stage names Francis Martin and, as of 2011, Kaya; under the latter name and as James K. Field, he has also published several works of spiritual literature.
The Juno Award for Heavy Metal Album of the Year is an annual award, presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) to honour the year's best album by a Canadian artist in the genres of heavy metal. The album is open to all subgenres of heavy metal. Rock, punk, crossover and hardcore artists are not eligible for this category.
The Juno Award for Electronic Album of the Year is an annual award presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for the best electronic album released in Canada. It has been awarded since 2011. The five nominees and eventual winner in the category are chosen by a panel of judges from the music industry across Canada.
The Juno Award for Adult Contemporary Album of the Year is an annual award presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) for the best adult contemporary album released in Canada. It was first awarded at the 42nd Juno Awards ceremonies in 2013. The five nominees in the category are chosen by a panel of judges selected from the Canadian music industry and the winner is chosen by CARAS members.
John James is a Canadian musician, who was prominent in the early 1990s for his funk-influenced brand of dance music. He released two albums, Big Fat Soul in 1989 and Mothers of Hope in 1993.
The Juno Award for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year is presented annually at Canada's Juno Awards to honour the best album of the year in the contemporary roots and folk genre. Prior to 2016, awards for this genre were awarded in two categories: Roots & Traditional - Solo and Roots & Traditional - Group. Beginning with the 2016 ceremony, the solo and group categories were replaced with contemporary and traditional roots categories, to "ensure two genres of music are not competing against each other in the same category".
The Juno Award for Traditional Roots Album of the Year is presented annually at Canada's Juno Awards to honour the best album of the year in the traditional roots genre. Prior to 2016, awards for this genre were awarded in two categories: Roots & Traditional - Solo and Roots & Traditional - Group. The awards categories were modified, to Traditional Roots and Contemporary Roots, beginning with the 2016 ceremony to "ensure two genres of music are not competing against each other in the same category".
