Nominees for the Industry Awards are selected by the Industry Awards Selection Committee from a list of nominees. The committee is comprised of four to six IBMA Professional members, appointed by the IBMA Executive Committee, who are knowledgeable about the field and their respective award categories.
The committee actively seeks out potential honorees, soliciting candidates from IBMA members. They compile a list of of potential candidates from these recommendations, and from recommendations by the selection committee members.
The committee convenes in a timely way to review all candidates (usually in June or July). By majority vote, they select the final five nominees per category.
Those nominees are sent via ballot to the Panel of Electors. This panel – over 200 of the most respected names in the bluegrass music industry – then votes to determine the single recipient for each of the Industry Awards.
