Criteria/Rules

• Nominees must be residents of Kern County.
• Nominees must be 18 years of age or older.
• Only music tracks or albums released between December 1, 2023, through November 30, 2024; commercially released their music to the public through recognized streaming channels: Spotify, Apple, Amazon, YouTube, iTunes, SoundCloud, Google, Etc. Self-releases or limited distribution may not qualify unless approved by the awards committee. Any artwork released outside of this specified time will not be considered for the awards.
• Artists must be actively engaged in the music industry and have not been on hiatus during the eligibility period. The award committee may consider exceptions for significant artistic contributions during a comeback. 

Genre-Specific

• The awards committee will carefully be evaluating each factor like musical style, instrumentation, or thematic elements that are characteristic of a particular genre before placing them in a category for consideration.

Nominee Selection Process

• The top Nominees in each category are put on a final ballot that is sent to members of the BMA Awards team, consisting of established artists, industry professionals, culture journalists and music media.

Other Things to Consider

• Nominee achievements for a certain level of success in the local music industry.
• Nominee recognition for artistic and creative merits for musical skills and performances.

Legal Regulations

• Nominees must comply with all applicable laws and regulations governing the music industry, including copyright laws and licensing requirements. Any nominee found in violation of such laws may be disqualified, and their nomination revoked.

Public Nomination/Voting: Awards are determined from public Nomination/voting, a process that allows fans to choose their favorite artists, songs, bands, and others in the music industry.

• There must be five to seven qualifying nominees in each genre to form a category. If not, the category will be dropped until next year's nominations.

Professional Award Committee: Nomination/vote entries qualification will be determined by committees of industry professionals who evaluate all qualifying entries.

Special Awards Committee: Special Awards recipients will be determined by the (SA) committee only.

Registration Process: If chosen as a nominee artist or their representee's will need to formally provide necessary information and materials.

• All nominees and a plus one will be invited to the VIP awards event.

Results: Winners Will Be Revealed During the Awards Presentation Ceremony.

Disclaimer: Only the Winner will be permitted to receive their award, if absent the winner will be contacted by the organization to schedule a pickup time and date.

Organizer Request: That all nominees and winners take part in event post-Media Interviews, Social Media Lives and VIP After Party for pictures.