Click here to download the complete 2025 CCMA Awards of Achievement Overview.

If you are looking to submit someone for the Gary Slaight Humanitarian Award, click here to download the submission form. If you are looking to submit someone for the remaining Awards of Achievements, click here to download the submission form.

Overview

The Canadian Country Music Association® (CCMA®) Board of Directors has established a recognition program (Awards of Achievement) to commemorate individuals and events whose contributions to the Canadian country music industry have been deemed as outstanding and/or extraordinary.

The four current Awards of Achievement are:

Gary Slaight Humanitarian Award

This Award recognizes an individual(s) and/or event(s) that have made an outstanding contribution of time and energy in the support of humanitarian causes through country music. This award is currently named the Gary Slaight Humanitarian Award in recognition of a generous donation by Slaight Music.

Leonard T. Rambeau International Award

This award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated extraordinary effort in assisting the aims and initiatives of the Canadian country music industry internationally. Named in honour of Leonard T. Rambeau in 1995, Mr. Rambeau was one of the most important behind-the-scenes figures in the development of the Canadian music industry internationally and was certainly one of the most professional artist managers in the history of Canadian music.

Hank Smith Award of Excellence

This award recognizes an individual who has gone above and beyond their current job in contributing their time and talents to the advancement of Canadian country music nationally. Named in honour of Hank Smith in 2003, Mr. Smith had the foresight to energize, promote and support the first organization to work for country music in Canada. As the founding president of the Academy of Country Music Entertainment (the organization that preceded the CCMA), Smith planted the seeds of the association with the goal of fostering Canadian country music.

CCMA Generation Award

This award was established in 2012 out of a desire to celebrate those who have been propelled beyond the borders of the country music genre onto an international stage. The CCMA Generation Award highlights these few select internationally celebrated artists who push country music forward, introducing the genre of music to new audiences. The artists to be celebrated with the CCMA Generation Award are cross-generational superstars who have demonstrated that their classification of “country star” has not limited them in their rise to fame.

Recognizing the ability of talented artists to reach fans globally, this award will be presented to artists (solo, duo, or group) who have made a significant impact on the country music industry. As this is recognizing the artist’s contribution beyond their own national borders, those considered do not have to be Canadian citizens, but their contribution must have had a significant impact on the Canadian scene. These artists have broken barriers in areas such as record sales, growth and expansion of new audiences, and creating increased awareness of country music across the globe. Most importantly, the CCMA Generation Award recipients will encompass the belief held by the CCMA that every artist has the ability to change the world through the power of song.

A list of past recipients for all Awards of Achievement can be found below.

Rules and Regulations:

• Only current CCMA Members can nominate individuals or an event for an Award of Achievement (see Nomination Process below for details).
• The individual(s) or key organizer(s) of an event being nominated do(es) NOT have to be a current CCMA Member(s).
• The individual(s) considered for the Gary Slaight Humanitarian Award and the Hank Smith Award of Excellence must be Canadian citizen(s) or have landed immigrant status.
• The individual(s) considered for the Leonard T. Rambeau International Award and the CCMA Generation Award do(es) NOT have to be a Canadian citizen(s).
• An individual or an event may qualify more than once for each Award of Achievement category as long as the criteria in place are met.
• The CCMA Board’s decision and/or selection on each award category is final.
• It is at the discretion of the CCMA Board to hand out any or all Awards of Achievement in any given year. Annual presentation is not automatic.
• Directors currently on the CCMA Board are not eligible for an Award of Achievement.
• Directors on the CCMA Board must declare any conflicts of interest prior to voting.

Nomination Process:

• Awards of Achievement Nomination Form (Nomination Form):
• The Nomination Forms are available at ccma.org or by clicking here to download the Gary Slaight Humanitarian Award Nomination Form, and here for the Awards of Achievement Nomination Form. Nomination Forms can also be requested by contacting Julia Lennox via email at jlennox@ccma.org.
• All Nomination Forms received will remain confidential.
• The CCMA will not be limited or bound by the Nomination Forms submitted by the CCMA membership.
• Board of Directors Final Decision:
• The Board of Directors will review all nominations and committee recommendations at their first meeting following the Tuesday, February 11 nomination cut-off date.
• The Board of Directors will agree by majority vote to award (if any) an individual/event with an Award of Achievement.
• The decision of the Board of Directors is final.

The closing date for 2025 nominations is Tuesday, February 11, 2025.

Period of Notification:

• Individuals/events chosen as recipients of an Award of Achievement will be informed within two weeks of the Board of Directors' decision. The CCMA President will notify the recipient(s).
• The recipient(s) will be given one week to accept or decline the Award of Achievement.
• The recipient(s) will be informed at this time that their Award of Achievement offering is strictly confidential until publicly announced by the CCMA.

Announcement:

• A CCMA-approved media release will be sent to all CCMA Members and media to announce all recipients of the Awards of Achievement, if any.
• If an Award of Achievement is not handed out in any given year, there will be no media release or announcement.

Award Presentation:

• All Awards of Achievement presentations will occur during the annual Country Music Week®.
• All Awards of Achievement recipients will be given one complimentary full delegate registration for Country Music Week®.
• Tickets to the event at which the award presentation is made will be available at a discounted price for family and friends of the recipient(s).
• The CCMA will work directly with the recipients of each Award of Achievement on the presentation of the Award of Achievement. A maximum two-minute presentation can be made by the Award of Achievement presenter, immediately followed by the recipient’s acceptance speech (maximum three-minute acceptance speech).

Overall Timelines Overview:

• Ongoing: Submission forms are available at www.ccma.org (submission deadline for the current year is Tuesday, February 11, 2025)
• March: Decision by CCMA Board of Directors
• June: Announcement
• September: Presentation of Awards during Country Music Week

Past Recipients

Humanitarian Award

• Wayne Rostad (1989)
• Gary Fjellgaard (1990)
• Carroll Baker (1991)
• John Allen Cameron (1992)
• “A Song for Brent” (1993)
• Joan Kennedy (1995)
• Tom Jackson (1996)
• Michelle Wright (1997)
• Paul Brandt (1998)
• September 11th Benefit Concert (2002)
• Say Hay! Benefit Concerts (2003)
• Terry Kelly (2005)
• George Canyon (2008)
• Gord Bamford (2010)
• Johnny Reid (2011)
• Tenille (2012)
• Adam Gregory (2013)
• Beverley Mahood (2014)
• MusiCounts (2015)
• Mike Stevens (2016)
• Country 105 Caring for Kids Radiothon (2017)
• Country Thunder Humbolt Broncos Tribute Concert (2018)
• #NotInMyCity (2019)
• CP Holiday Train (2021)
• The Unison Fund (2022)
• Dean Brody (2023)
• Lindsay Ell (2024) 

The Hank Smith Award of Excellence

• Maryanne Gibson (2003)
• Diana Kelly & Claude Lelievre (2004)
• Ron Sakamoto (2007)
• Ma Henning (2008)
• Heather Ostertag (2009)
• Larry Delaney (2012)
• Deane Cameron (2014)
• Ollie Strong (2022)　　　　

Leonard T. Rambeau International Award

• George Hamilton IV (1989)
• Kees de Haan (1990)
• Bart Barton (1991)
• Tony Migilore (1991)
• Tim Dubois (1992)
• CTV Television Network (1993)
• Leonard T. Rambeau (1995)
• Paul Corbin (1996)
• Bob Saporti (1997)
• Jeff Walker (1998)
• Jo Walker Meador (1998)
• Ralph Murphy (1999)
• Sheila Copps (2000)
• David Ross, Music Row Magazine, Nashville, TN (2003)
• Rob Potts, Allied Artists International, Australia (2004)
• Bruce Allen (2006)
• Rick Murray (2007)
• Tammy Genovese (2009)
• Robert Ott (2015)
• Franck Boucheraud, France (2017)
• Steven Goldmann (2018)

CCMA Generation Award

• Taylor Swift (2012)
• Shania Twain (2018)