WOMEN IN MUSIC 2026 HONOURS RECIPIENTS CELEBRATED DURING GALA EVENT AT TORONTO’S QUEEN ELIZABETH THEATRE PERFORMANCES BY BILLIANNE, ANNABEL ORESTE, DJ ME TIME, DJ MELBOOGIE AND SIMAR
TORONTO, ON – March 6, 2026 – The 4th Annual Women in Music Canada Honours took place last night at Toronto’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre. The WIM Canada Honours program is designed to celebrate and support Canadian innovators and creators who have had outstanding success in their field in the eligibility year (December 2024 through December 2025 for the annual based categories).
Hosted by CBC’s Saroja Coelho, Honours were presented to sixteen individuals across the following categories: Artist of the Year (Presented by Amazon Music), Change Maker of the Year (Presented by the National Arts Centre), Entrepreneur of the Year (Presented by Believe and TuneCore), Excellence in Live Music, International Leader of the Year (Presented by Loft Entertainment), Organization of the Year, Career Achievement, Rising Leaders, and new this year, Excellence in Sound Production (Presented by Fearless Creative, Music Publishers Canada and National Arts Centre). The evening’s live performances, sponsored by Ontario Creates and SiriusXM, included Billianne, Annabel Oreste, DJ Me Time, DJ MelBoogie and Simar.
Words from Career Achievement Honour Recipients
“It’s wonderful to be recognized, acknowledged and honoured by my peers for my contribution to Canadian music. It’s so important as women to continue to support each other in this industry! Thank you so much!” – Simone Denny
“All facets of this industry demand focus and tireless dedication to thrive. I commend Women in Music Canada’s commitment to both enrich and celebrate individuals and their life’s work. It is an honour to be recognized alongside such a broad spectrum of talent based in Canada.” – Patti-Anne Tarlton
“I am grateful to receive this Career Achievement Honour. I feel privileged to have had rewarding work promoting and supporting women music creators in their careers. I am happy to have been part of organizations including the Winnipeg Folk Festival, the West End Cultural Centre and Home Routes/Chemin Chez Nous that contributed to this goal. Thank you very much.” – Ava Kobrinsky
“Throughout my career in this industry, it hasn’t been quiet, safe, or conventional—This award represents every risk taken, every boundary pushed, and every voice we’ve fought to turn up louder. I’m deeply grateful to all of our clients—past and present—who trusted us with their vision and allowed us to be part of their journey. Your art is the reason we exist. I accept this honor with pride, gratitude, and absolutely no compromise.” – Sarah Lutz
“The Career Achievement Award from Women in Music Canada is an award I receive with reflection and immense appreciation. I accept this honour not just for myself, but for every woman building her path inthis industry. Music is Powerful!”
– Sharon Hinds
The Honours Event was the icing on the cake of a monumental week, following the extraordinary, and first ever, three-day 2026 WIM Global Summit taking place in Toronto. The summit boasted over 70 speakers from 11 countries across the globe, and more than 680 summit attendees (in person and virtually) converging on the Allied Music Centre and TD Music Hall for workshops, keynotes, panel discussions and networking opportunities focused on music industry topics impacting women and gender diverse individuals. For a summit recap please visit Women in Music Canada’s website.
“Coming to the close of this week, I can, with no hesitation, say my cup is full.” Says executive director Robyn Stewart. “The WIMCanada team planned this week with intention, curiosity, care and perhaps a bit of dream. We aimed to uplift women and gender diverse sheros who constantly inspire us. Thank you to all of the nominees, honourees, speakers, sponsors and the whole team who made this possible. Let’s get together again next year.”
2026 WOMEN IN MUSIC CANADA HONOURS RECIPIENTS
ARTIST OF THE YEAR (Presented by Amazon Music):
Elisapie
CHANGE MAKER OF THE YEAR (Presented by the National Arts Centre):
Bass Coast Festival and Good Night Out – Stacey Forrester, Andrea Graham and Liz Thomson
ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR (Presented by Believe and TuneCore):
Wednesday Management – Laurie Lee Boutet
EXCELLENCE IN LIVE MUSIC:
Four Chords and the Truth Inc. – Andrea England
EXCELLENCE IN SOUND PRODUCTION (Presented by Fearless Creative, Music Publishers Canada and National Arts Centre):
Hill Kourkoutis
INTERNATIONAL LEADER OF THE YEAR (Presented by Loft Entertainment):
Miranda Mulholland – Letters to the Future
ORGANIZATION OF THE YEAR:
Manitoba Music
CAREER ACHIEVEMENT HONOUR RECIPIENTS:
Simone Denny
Sharon Hinds
Ava Kobrinsky
Sarah Lutz
Patti-Anne Tarlton
WOMEN IN MUSIC CANADA RISING LEADER RECIPIENTS:
Laurie Chouinard – CULT NATION
Kentya Kurban
Jalyssa Mills – BAMMY Fridays; Do Me Nice
Amber Still – Polaris Music Prize
Katy Venneri – CARAS
The 2026 list of nominees began with an open call for submissions which included 490 entries. The nominees and honourees were determined through a juried process including category juries, with a total of 43 industry jurors weighing in, and verified by the Women In Music Canada Board of Directors Honours Committee. Submissions for consideration were made by the prospective honouree or another Canadian colleague. The final Honours recipients were curated from the list of nominees by a finalist jury, with the Artist of the Year category being decided on by public vote.
The WIM Canada Honours event is made possible by the generous support of our award partners – Amazon Music, Believe, Fearless Creative, Music Publishers Canada, National Arts Centre, TuneCore, and The Loft Entertainment. We also thank Ontario Creates and SiriusXM for their support of the night’s showcase performances and The Orchard for supporting the night’s opening reception.
