2012 Award Nominations.....

Following are the criteria for the 2012 WMA Awards of Excellence. Nominations Ballots will be sent to all WMA members in good standing on May 15. Nominations for 2012 Awards must be postmarked by June 29, 2012.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR AWARDS:

• CDs can be self-nominated. IF YOU ARE SELF-NOMINATING, YOU MUST PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING: A copy of the nominated CD must accompany the Album Western, or Western Swing of the Year nomination, a copy of  the CD containing a nominated song, or a CD containing only the nominated song must accompany the Song of the Year nomination. Song nomination CDs must be accompanied by either CD artwork, or a photo copy of the artwork, showing the release date.
• In the case of Western Album of the Year and Western Swing Album of the Year, majority of the music on the CD must be of Western content, lyrically or musically. Country Music content does not count as Western Music.
• CDs must have a copyright date.
• CDs must have a bar code.
• CDs and individual songs, if the nominated songs are not released on an eligible album must be registered on the WMA CD Registry before the Nominations Committee can consider them (forms can be downloaded at www.westernmusic.org/cd-registry.html 
• Non-WMA members may be nominated. If a CD released by a non-WMA member is eligible, or if a non WMA member is nominated for a performance award, the nominee will be notified of the nomination and given the opportunity to join WMA. They can decide to become a member of WMA or decline the nomination and lose eligibility.

COWBOY POETRY CD of THE YEAR (click here for additional details)

• 75% of the CD must be “poetry” with rhyme, rhythm and meter, and must be original work written by the author of the CD. CDs must be produced by one author only.
• Background music is allowed, but points will not be added or subtracted unless the music distracts from (or overpowers) the spoken word.
• 25% of the CD can contain other material, including (a) music if written or co-written by the same author as named on the CD, (b) prose, (c) material written by someone other than the author as named on the CD, and (d) poetry spoken in the voice of someone other than the author of the CD, even if it is original work of the author of the CD.
• CDs must have a Bar Code.
• CDs must have copyright date.
• CD tracks must be listed on the jacket, along with length of each track.
• CDs must be registered with the WMA when released (online form on the WMA site)
• All CDs will have a “birth” date of January 1 of the copyright year. Eligibility is for that year, plus two subsequent years.
• Non-WMA authors may be nominated. They will be notified that they have been nominated and be given a chance to become a member to win the award. At that time, they can choose to become a member, or decline the nomination and lose eligibility.

COWBOY POETRY BOOK of THE YEAR (click here for additional details)

As the Western Wordsmiths are a subchapter of the Western Music Association, poetry is hereby defined as works containing rhythm, rhyme and meter. Although the book’s content may include short prose, tall tales, rhyming poetry and free verse, the poetry alone will be judged in meeting criteria for eligibility. Anything that is not “poetry” as hereby described, including free verse, will be classified as “prose.”

• 50% of the book must be “poetry” with rhyme, rhythm and meter, and must be original work written by the author of the book.
• 50% of those poems (criteria #1) must be 20 lines or more in length.
• Books must have ISBN#.
• Books must have copyright date.
• Books must be registered with the WMA when released (online form on the WMA site)
• Credits for poems used as a “cover” and poems written by someone other than the author of the book (including anonymous works) must be given. Poems not written by the author of the book will be considered “prose” and will not qualify for the 50% eligibility criteria as described above.
• Books written by multiple authors are not eligible.
• All books will have a “birth” date of January 1 of the copyright year. Eligibility is for that year, plus two subsequent years.
• Non-WMA authors may be nominated. They will be notified that they have been nominated and be given a chance to become a member to win the award. At that time, they can choose to become a member or decline the nomination and lose eligibility.
• A reprint of a book published in a previous award year is not eligible.