In the first round, each current Professional Member of the IBMA may nominate as many as five entries per category and subcategory on the ballot. The second round ballot contains the twenty highest-voted candidates from the first ballot in each category.
The IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards are given in several categories. Each category has its own criteria, and its own guidelines clarifying who the recipients are.
The IBMA Board of Directors has developed and announced changes to the awards and the selection process for each. Please review carefully the IBMA Awards Handbook, available on the Selection Process page.
Understanding the Selection Process helps our voting members throughout the balloting process.
Click below to view the official IBMA press releases listing the 2019 IBMA Bluegrass Music Award winners, Industry Awards winners, and Momentum Awards winners.
“For Your Consideration” List submissions are open March 2 – March 31, 2020. Formerly known as the “Reference List”, this crowd-sourced list is made available to voting members as they fill out the first, all write-in ballot. This list consists solely of the submissions made by IBMA members and the bluegrass community. (The IBMA staff/board does NOT gather information or contribute in any way to this list.)
