Submissions are being accepted until Saturday, June 15 for CIVL Radio's ninth annual Fraser Valley Music Awards (FVMA).
Any musicians, bands, or singer/songwriters who live or work in the area are eligible to apply with three original recordings. Winners will be selected in multiple categories for part of a $10,170 cash prize.
The cash prize is divided among multiple acts based on the Dakota Leslie Memorial Fan Vote. Each nominee is automatically eligible – the more votes they receive, the higher percentage of the winnings they’ll earn.
Dakota Leslie was an Abbotsford high school student who volunteered for CIVL and died in 2015.
"So right before we moved into the Student Union Building, we ended up naming our studio after him because he never broadcasted from that studio. He passed just before we moved in," said Aaron Levy, CIVL’s executive director.
The FVMA began in 2015 with a grant from the Community Radio Fund of Canada. Its first iteration was a Battle of the Bands in 2016 to raise funds for a second radio tower in Chilliwack.
After cycling through various venues, the awards are now held at the Jam in Jubilee music festival in Abbotsford, where select nominees will perform on July 18.
Jam in Jubilee is presented by the Abbotsford Arts Council every Thursday in July in Jubilee Park, where audiences can enjoy musical performances, market vendors, local art and food truck offerings.
Aside from the prize money and the chance to perform, all applicants will hear their music on the CIVL airwaves and included in CIVL’s online playlists. They will also be added to a roster of acts used to book entertainment for upcoming community events.
The entry cost is $5, and each applicant can enter under multiple different award categories, such as Excellence in Performance by a Youth Artist, Queer Artist, Indigenous Artist, and more.
Past nominees include Glisha from Surrey, Mission’s Cody Lawless, and Hooper Turnt Sanger from Chilliwack, who have all continued onto greater success.
“At CIVL radio, we know local artists struggle to be represented and get opportunities to perform and develop, and that is why we started this initiative,” Levy said. “The FVMAs are a great way to find out about more new artists that are in your town.”
Visit fvma.civl.ca for more information or to apply.
