WOMEN IN MUSIC CANADA ANNOUNCES THE 2026 HONOURS NOMINEES 4th ANNUAL HONOURS CELEBRATION TAKES PLACE MARCH 5 AT TORONTO’S QUEEN ELIZABETH THEATRE WITH PERFORMANCES BY BILLIANNE, ANNABEL ORESTE, DJ ME TIME AND SIMAR
TORONTO, ON – January 23, 2026 – The 4th Annual Women In Music Canada Honours returns to Toronto’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Thursday, March 5th. An evening of community, celebration and inspiration, the event’s festivities include the announcement of 2026 Honours recipients and recognizing Career Achievement Award recipients – Simone Denny, Sharon Hinds, Ava Kobrinsky, Sarah Lutz and Patti-Anne Tarlton. New this year will be an honouree named for the category of Excellence in Sound Production (Presented by Fearless Creative, Music Publishers Canada and National Arts Centre).
Hosted by CBC’s Saroja Coelho, the night will include performances by Billianne, Annabel Oreste, DJ Me Time and Simar. An afterparty at Annabel’s (upstairs from the Queen Elizabeth Theatre) will take place at the conclusion of the event. Tickets are available for purchase here.
“Women In Music Canada Honours stands for more than awards — it reflects a commitment to equity, visibility and opportunity for women and gender-diverse professionals at every level of the music industry,” says Jamelia Campbell, Chair, Women In Music Canada Board of Directors Honours Committee. “This year’s submissions speak to an extraordinary level of talent, creativity, and leadership, and we look forward to recognizing those whose work is strengthening our industry and our shared cultural landscape.”
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). The 2026 honourees will receive gift packages from event partners and women-owned Canadian businesses.
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 honouree recipients will be curated from the list of nominees by a finalist jury, with the Artist of the Year category being decided on by public vote – cast your vote here.
The Honours Event caps off a week of activities recognizing and celebrating International Women’s Week. Toronto will host the 2026 Global Summit, which takes place March 2-4, 2026 at The Allied Music Centre and TD Music Hall. Bringing together women and gender-diverse leaders from across the global music industry, this 3-day event focuses on interactive and inspiring programming that includes panels and keynotes, workshops and mentorship, networking and community building, as well as a songwriting round. For more information or to register to attend visit Women in Music Canada’s website.
2026 WOMEN IN MUSIC CANADA HONOURS NOMINEES
ARTIST OF THE YEAR (Presented by Amazon Music):
Begonia
Alessia Cara
Elisapie
Jessie Reyez
Allison Russell
Tia Wood
CHANGE MAKER OF THE YEAR (Presented by the National Arts Centre):
Stacey Forrester, Andrea Graham and Liz Thomson – Bass Coast Festival and Good Night Out
Micah Smith – Crescendo Fest
Neesha Hothi – Neesh Communications
Gabrielle Rubaine – Music Managers Forum
Tara Barnes – Thunderhaus Management
ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR (Presented by Believe and TuneCore):
Laurie Lee Boutet – Wednesday Management
Alina Guidu – MUZE
Catherine Harrison – Revelios
Erin Kinghorn – eEK! Productions
Yao Wang – ICTUS Audio Inc.
EXCELLENCE IN LIVE MUSIC:
Mercedes Caxaj – SunFest
Diana Cerovich – Biltmore Theatre
Andrea England – Four Chords and the Truth
Kathleen Reid – The Feldman Agency
Rachel Weldon – Debaser
EXCELLENCE IN SOUND PRODUCTION (Presented by Fearless Creative, Music Publishers Canada and National Arts Centre):
Kayla Diamond
Lexie Jay – Illegal Audio
Hill Kourkoutis
Rayannah
Anastasiya Petrova – Ocevnside Clvb
INTERNATIONAL LEADER OF THE YEAR (Presented by Loft Entertainment):
Sommer Blackman – Savur Law PC
Rachel Cragg – Nettwerk Music Group
Nirvana Howell – Spin Artist Agency
Miranda Mulholland – Letters to the Future
Amelie Tintin – New Wave
ORGANIZATION OF THE YEAR:
BCWM (Black Canadian Women in Music)
Manitoba Music
Musique Nomade
Nettwerk Music Group
Wednesday Management
CAREER ACHIEVEMENT RECIPIENTS:
Simone Denny
Sharon Hinds
Ava Kobrinsky
Sarah Lutz
Patti-Anne Tarlton
WOMEN IN MUSIC CANADA RISING LEADERS:
Laurie Chouinard – CULT NATION
Kentya Kurban – Kentya Kurban
Jalyssa Mills – BAMMY Fridays; Do Me Nice
Amber Still – Polaris Music Prize
Katy Venneri – CARAS
The WIM Canada Honours event is made possible by the generous support of our award partners – Amazon, 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.
WOMEN IN MUSIC CANADA HONOURS CATEGORY DESCRIPTIONS
Please read carefully as changes have been made to clarify certain criteria starting in 2025.
Artist of the Year presented by Amazon Music
This award recognizes a woman or gender-diverse artist whose music demonstrates excellence and has had an exceptional year following radio chart success, media exposure, industry recognition, and/or touring success. Artists considered for this category may be at any stage of their musical career, with success within the award’s eligibility period serving as the primary metric for selection. Artists may only be honoured once in this category.
The recipient of this award will be selected based on the results shared by the jury and an open vote by Women in Music Canada members.
Recipients in the following categories will be selected from the results of a diverse jury of industry leaders from among the members of Women in Music Canada.
Change Maker of the Year presented by the National Arts Centre
This award recognizes a woman or gender-diverse industry member who creates change through leadership (aligning collective direction and motivating people toward strategic goals) and mentorship (supporting and sharing expertise with other women and gender-diverse professionals to achieve their goals).
While the recipient may own a business, this is not a requirement, and the recognition is specifically for their leadership initiative and successes. Active engagement with the music community must be visible on an ongoing basis. Testimonials, past accomplishments, and current projects may all be included in this submission. Submissions will be judged primarily on professional activity occurring within one year of the submission deadline, but information on the long-term initiative may be submitted.
Entrepreneur of the Year presented by Believe and TuneCore
This award is presented to a company that has made significant progress in workplace diversity. The award recognizes the success of a business owner who is a woman and/or a gender-diverse individual. This award can be for a company of any size. While the company’s achievements can be a compilation of teamwork, and the award can recognize a partnership (two individuals), only one physical award is presented.
This category is recognized annually, but is not limited to the entrepreneur’s work during the eligible year. It recognizes their entrepreneurial career to date.
Excellence in Live Music
*NEW* Excellence in Sound Production presented by Fearless Creative, Music Publishers Canada and National Arts Centre
This honour celebrates a woman or gender-diverse music producer who has made a significant impact through both the quality of their work and their commitment to gender equity and safe studio environments. Submissions must include three audio tracks* released within the submission period (December 2024 – December 2025), on which the nominee holds a primary producer or co-producer credit. Tracks may come from the same record. International projects are eligible if the submitting producer is Canadian.
*Audio submissions accepted via listening links only: must be high resolution streaming platform or cloud-based service (mastered wav files 24/48 kHz).
International Leader of the Year presented by The loft entertainment
This award recognizes an international woman or gender diverse industry member who is making significant strides in their country/city. The recipient’s work may be considered significant on the global stage or for the community they serve.
This distinction honours a Canadian woman or gender diverse industry member who is making significant strides outside of Canada. The recipient’s work may be considered significant on the global stage or for the community they serve. This honour may be awarded to an artist, but is not performance-based. The focus should be on their work beyond their performance and in service to a community.
Organization of the Year
This honour is awarded to a company that has made significant progress in workplace equity. The award is intended to recognize a company owned or led primarily by women and/or gender-diverse individuals, but it can also recognize allies within the organization. This award can be a company of any size. While the company’s achievements can be a compilation of the team’s work, only one physical award is presented.
Career Achievement Honour
This category will recognize up to five women/gender-diverse individuals who have made a significant impact in paving the way for a more equitable community. This award is primarily intended for members who have worked in the industry for more than 20 years.
Nominations will not be announced for this category. Only the recipients will be announced.
Women in Music Canada Rising Leader
This award will recognize up to five women/industry members from diverse genres or creative individuals who are in the early stages of their careers and demonstrating success and growth in their work. This is a list of people to watch in the coming years. This honor aims to highlight new voices in the Canadian music industry.
Nominations will not be announced for this category. Only the recipients will be announced.
