Juno Awards facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Juno Awards
Logo for the Juno Awards
Presented by	The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
Country	Canada
First awarded	23 February 1970; 55 years ago (1970-02-23) (as Gold Leaf Awards)
Television coverage
Network	CBC (1975–1987, 1989–2001, 2018–present) CTV (2002–2017)

The Juno Awards, often called the Junos, are special prizes given out by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. They celebrate amazing achievements in Canada's music industry. The awards were first known as the Gold Leaf Awards. The very first ceremony was held on February 23, 1970. It honored the best music from 1969. New members are also added to the Canadian Music Hall of Fame during the Juno Awards.

What are the Juno Awards?

The Juno Awards are named after Pierre Juneau. He was the first head of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). He also used to be the president of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). The Junos are like Canada's version of the Grammy Awards in the United States.

How the Junos Started

In 1964, a music magazine called RPM started asking its readers to vote for the best Canadian artists. They would announce the winners in December. But there was no big party or ceremony.

A record label owner named Stan Klees and RPM founder Walt Grealis wanted to change that. They decided to create a formal awards show. The first show was called the Gold Leaf Awards. It happened on February 23, 1970, in Toronto, Ontario.

Later that year, RPM asked readers for new names for the awards. Someone suggested "Juneau," to honor Pierre Juneau. He helped create rules that made sure Canadian radio stations played more Canadian music. This name was shortened to "Juno," and by 1971, the awards were officially called the "Juno Awards."

At first, the winners were announced before the awards night. But starting in 1974, the winners were kept secret until the ceremony. A group of music industry people formed a committee to help with the Junos. This group later became the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS). CARAS took over running the Juno Awards in 1977.

Junos on TV

The Juno Awards were first shown on TV across Canada in 1975. CBC Television broadcasted the show until 2001. Then, the show moved to CTV Television Network from 2002 to 2017. Since 2018, the Junos have been back on CBC.

In 1978, the Canadian Music Hall of Fame was created. In 1979, the award trophy was officially named the Juno Award. Canada's Prime Minister at the time, Pierre Trudeau, even helped present an award!

Junos Through the Years

1980s and 1990s

In 1982, famous singer Joni Mitchell was added to the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

For a while, the awards were held at different times of the year. In 1984, they were moved to December. But because fewer people were watching, CARAS decided to move the awards back to earlier in the year. So, the 1988 awards were postponed until March 12, 1989. This meant there was no ceremony in 1988.

In 1991, the Junos were held in Vancouver. This was the first time the show took place outside of Toronto. That year, a new award category for rap music was also added.

The 1995 Awards were special because they were open to the public for the first time. They were held in Hamilton and celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Junos. To mark this milestone, a special music collection called Oh What a Feeling: A Vital Collection of Canadian Music was released. It had 77 songs by Canadian artists and sold over one million copies!

2000s and Beyond

In 2002, the Juno Awards moved from CBC to CTV. In 2006, the Junos were shown internationally for the first time on MTV channels. This meant about 250 million people could watch the show!

A new award, the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award, was created in 2006. It honors people who use their music to help others. Bruce Cockburn was the first artist to receive this award.

At the 2007 ceremony, host Nelly Furtado made history. She won every award she was nominated for, including Album of the Year and Artist of the Year.

In 2017, CARAS announced that the Junos would return to CBC. The goal was to promote Canadian music all year round. The 2020 event was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. However, an online ceremony was held on June 29 instead.

The Juno Trophy

Shania Twain holds a 2011 Juno Award trophy.

Stan Klees designed the first Juno trophies in 1970. They were made of walnut wood and looked like a metronome, which is a tool musicians use to keep time. When the CBC started showing the awards in 1975, the trophies were made of acrylic but still kept the metronome shape.

Over the years, the trophy changed a little. It became smaller to make it easier to hold. In 2000, the trophy was redesigned because some people thought it didn't look good on TV. A new design was chosen, featuring a glass human figure with a spiral shape around it. This spiral was like a musical staff.

In 2010, a new trophy design was introduced. It was a solid crystal tower with a laser-engraved spiral figure inside. This new design is still used today.

How Winners are Chosen

The types of awards and their descriptions can change each year. This helps the Junos keep up with new trends in the music industry. For example, in 1964, there were 16 categories, but in 2017, there were 42!

Different judges from all over Canada's music industry help choose the winners each year. An advisory committee makes sure that all submitted songs and albums meet the rules for each award.

To be nominated, music must have been released within a specific time period. Canadian artists must have lived in Canada for at least six months of that period.

After the submission period, CARAS members vote to create a list of nominees for most awards. For some awards, like Album of the Year, sales figures help decide the nominees. For others, like New Artist of the Year, sales and a jury vote are used.

Once the nominees are announced, another round of voting happens to pick the winners. For the Juno Fan Choice Award, anyone can vote! But for most other awards, only CARAS members can vote. Special juries choose the winners for specific music genres. An accounting company checks all the votes to make sure everything is fair.

Juno Awards Ceremonies

The Juno Awards were only held in Toronto until 1991. Since then, the ceremonies have traveled all across Canada, from coast to coast. However, the provinces of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and the Canadian Territories have not hosted the Junos yet. In recent years, the host cities often have many other events and festivals around the awards show.

Live Performances and Hall of Fame

Since 1975, when the CBC started televising the Junos, live music performances have been a big part of the show. The Canadian Music Hall of Fame was started in 1978. Many famous artists have performed at the Junos or been inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Juno Award Categories

The Juno Awards have many different categories. Some are for all types of music, and others are for specific styles.

• The Artist of the Year award goes to the best solo performer.
• The Album of the Year award is for the best full music album. It honors the performer, songwriters, and production team.
• The Single of the Year award is given to the songwriters of a single song.
• The Breakthrough Artist of the Year and Breakthrough Group of the Year awards are for new artists or groups who are just starting to become famous.

Other awards celebrate different music styles, like pop, rock, hip hop, and country. There are also awards for things like album artwork and music videos. Special awards are given to people who have made a big impact on the music industry over many years.

Since 2015, only a few awards are always shown during the main TV broadcast. These include Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, and the Fan Choice Award. The Minister of Canadian Heritage often presents the Breakthrough Artist and Breakthrough Group awards.

In 2016, two new categories were added for folk and roots music: Contemporary Roots Album of the Year and Traditional Roots Album of the Year. This helps make sure different types of roots music don't compete against each other.

Music Genre Awards

• Pop: Pop Album of the Year
• Dance/Electronic: Dance Recording of the Year, Underground Dance Single of the Year, Electronic Album of the Year
• Contemporary Instrumental: Instrumental Album of the Year
• Rock: Rock Album of the Year, Metal/Hard Music Album of the Year
• Alternative: Alternative Album of the Year, Adult Alternative Album of the Year
• R&B: Traditional R&B/Soul Recording of the Year, Contemporary R&B/Soul Recording of the Year
• Rap: Rap Single of the Year, Rap Album/EP of the Year
• Country: Country Album of the Year
• Jazz: Jazz Album of the Year – Solo, Jazz Album of the Year – Group, Vocal Jazz Album of the Year
• Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music: Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year
• Canadian Roots: Contemporary Roots Album of the Year, Traditional Roots Album of the Year, Blues Album of the Year
• Reggae: Reggae Recording of the Year
• Global Music: Global Music Album of the Year
• Children's: Children's Album of the Year
• Comedy: Comedy Album of the Year
• Francophone: Francophone Album of the Year
• Indigenous: Traditional Indigenous Artist of the Year, Contemporary Indigenous Artist of the Year
• International: International Album of the Year

Other Awards

• Composing: Instrumental Album of the Year
• Engineering: Recording Engineer of the Year
• Production: Producer of the Year
• Songwriting: Songwriter of the Year
• Classical: Classical Composition of the Year, Classical Album of the Year – Solo, Classical Album of the Year – Small Ensemble, Classical Album of the Year – Large Ensemble
• Music Video/Film: Video of the Year
• Artwork: Album Artwork of the Year
• Education: MusiCounts Teacher of the Year

Juno Week Events

Before the main awards show on the weekend, there are several fun events held in the host city. This is called "Juno Week." These events include:

• Juno Cup: A hockey game where musicians play against former National Hockey League players. It raises money for MusiCounts, a charity that supports music education.
• Juno Fan Fare: A chance for fans to meet their favorite Canadian artists.
• Juno Songwriters' Circle: Songwriters share their stories and play their music in a smaller, more personal setting. This also supports MusiCounts.
• JUNOfest: A music festival that features local artists performing at different places around the host city.

Juno TV

Juno TV started in 2013. It's a digital channel that shows videos and old clips about the Juno Awards and Canadian artists. You can find new content every week, all year long.

See also

In Spanish: Premios Juno para niños

• Canadian Country Music Association
• Music of Canada
• Canadian hip hop
• Canadian rock
• Canadian content
• Category:Canadian rock music groups
• Category:Canadian musical groups
• List of Canadian musicians
• Category:Music festivals in Canada
• Category:Canadian record labels