Contest Rules

The Henry Armstrong Award (the “Contest”) will be administered by MDM Recordings Inc. (“MDM”) and will be run in accordance with these rules (the “Rules”), subject to applicable federal, provincial and municipal laws and regulations. The Rules are subject to change without notice to comply with any federal, provincial and municipal laws, as applicable. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of the Rules or the rights and obligations as between any of the Contestants, Semi-finalists, Finalists, and the Winner (as these terms are defined below) and The Henry Armstrong Award shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the province of Ontario, including procedural provisions, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules or provisions that would cause the application of any other jurisdiction’s laws.

Eligibility 

Subject to the conditions herein, the Contest is open to legal residents of Canada and who are the age of majority or older at time of entry. Both individuals and groups are eligible to participate in the Contest. Contestants are registered subject to proving eligibility, including verification of age and identity by providing a legible copy of a valid form of government-issued photo ID, upon request. Failure to provide the requested documentation may result in disqualification, at MDM’s sole discretion.

Disqualification

By participating in this Contest, Contestants agree to be bound by these Rules and by the decisions of MDM which are final in all matters relating to this Contest and furthermore acknowledge compliance with these Rules. MDM reserves the right to disqualify any Contestant for any reason, including but not limited to inappropriate or disruptive behavior, as determined in the sole and unfettered discretion of MDM. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED OR RESTRICTED BY LAW. Employees, agents or representatives of MDM and the persons with whom they are domiciled are not eligible to enter. MDM reserves the right to make the final decision in respect of any and all Contest matters.

In the event that MDM discovers that Contestants are not in fact Indigenous, MDM shall have the right to demand immediate return of the funds paid hereunder. 

General Requirements

  • For the purposes of the Contest, MDM is seeking and will accept submissions that fall into any genre of music (including traditional or contemporary styles of music). 
  • Both bands/musical groups and solo/individual musical artists are eligible to apply. 
  • Contestants must provide the names of all band members at time of registration. 
  • All artists must be Canadian citizens and of Indigenous descent. MDM reserves the right to request proof of citizenship or status card and failure to provide proof by deadline may result in disqualification. The group is deemed by MDM, in its sole discretion, to be Canadian and Indigenous on the basis of:
    • the Canadian member(s) receiving the majority of royalties, touring profits and other proceeds earned by the group; and
    • the Canadian member(s) being the the principal songwriter(s) for the group.
  • Eligible artists must NOT have been previously nominated for a JUNO Award, Polaris Music Prize or a Canadian Country Music Association Award.
  • Eligible artists must be registered SOCAN members. To complete the application visit socan.ca. SOCAN membership for songwriters is free of charge.
  • Eligible artists must have, and actively use, social media accounts including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. Eligible artists must have completed at least ten (10) Live Performances in the last three (3) years. “Live Performances” means live performance engagements where the artist or band was paid a guaranteed fee or percentage of revenue from ticket sales. 

How to Enter

No purchase necessary.

Starting April 19, 2022 at 12:01am EST until Closing at 11:59PM EST May 13, 2022 (the “Contest Period”), entrants may register as described below (a “Registration”). Registrations that are incomplete will not be accepted. No responsibility is assumed for incorrect or inaccurate information contained in performance material provided as part of the Registration associated with or used in this Contest or by any technical or human error which may occur in the processing of entries to this Contest. MDM shall not be responsible for lost, late, mutilated, illegible, or misdirected entries. MDM is not responsible for typographical errors in the Registration or the Rules and/or the selection of or the announcement of the Semi-finalists, Finalists or Winner. MDM reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify, delay, or suspend the Contest at any time and for any reason, including but not limited to technical or creative difficulties. Registrations that have been tampered with or altered are void.

To be eligible for the Contest, Contestants must:

  • Be an Indigenous musical artist who has a proven track record in the music industry for at least 36 months prior to application; 
  • Submit an application to this Contest in the form of any medium (written essay, website, video etc.). Creative and unique applications are encouraged. Contestant’s application must clearly detail where Contestants are currently at in their music career, how will Contestants benefit if chosen to receive this award, how Contestants will spend the award and finally will this award elevate the Indigenous arts community as a whole. 
  • Enter the Contest at http://henryarmstrongaward.ca/submit/

Voting and Selection Process

  • Members of this jury come from a diverse background across multiple disciples/areas of expertise. They include:
    • Mike Denney
    • Don Amero
    • Laurie Brown 
    • Tiffany Tse
    • Shelby Burnell
    • Dale Peters
    • Carmen Choney
    • Jess Moskaluke 
    • Kurt Dahl
    • Sara Franzyk
    • Mitch Merrett
    • Alan Greyeyes (TBC)
    • Sarah Burke (TBC)
    • Adam Abbasakoor or Katie Thornton (TBC)
    • John Marks (TBC)
    • Mikhail Laxton (TBC)

  • Scoring criteria:
    • Originality in submission material (/10)
    • Quality of music (/10)
    • Track Record to Date (/10)
    • Storytelling (how well did the applicant answer the required questions and demonstrate use of the award money) (/10)
    • Overall viability (/10)

Prizes

One (1) Finalist will be chosen as the winner. The winner will be named The Henry Armstrong Award Recipient for the applicable year and will receive a cash prize of $10,000 CAD, which is to be used for the development of recorded musical content and for musical performances. 

The winner will also receive:

  • One hour consultations with music industry experts in the following areas: record label/management (Mike Denney, MDM Recordings), artist (Don Amero) radio promotion (Dale Peters), media (Red Umbrella PR), digital/social (Sara Franczyk), Indigenous Grants (Laurie Brown), brand partnerships (Tiffany Tse). These consultations are valued at roughly $2500 CAD. 
  • Quarterly check-ins and discussions with Mike Denney and Don Amero for the duration of the year. 

Compliance with Rules / Release of Liability

In order to be declared a winner, Contestants may be required to sign a Declaration of Compliance with the Rules and a Release of Liability (collectively the “Declaration and Release Documents”), releasing MDM, its advertising and promotional agencies, the CCMA, the prize suppliers, parents, subsidiaries, member clubs, affiliates, representatives and agents of the foregoing and all of their respective directors, officers, owners, governors, partners, employees, consultants, agents, representatives, their successors and assigns (collectively, the “Releases”) from any liability in connection with participation in this Contest or the prizes, including any travel related liability.

In awarding prizes, the decision of the jury is final. By accepting a prize, the winner agrees to their name and/or photo and/or likeness being used by MDM without notice or compensation for publicity purposes.

In the event that the winner is unable to redeem any or all of the prize components for reasons beyond the control of MDM and the prize suppliers, no compensation or substitutions will be provided. If the winner fails to provide proof of identity, refuses to sign and return the Declaration and Release Documents, or is found to have violated the rules of the Contest or otherwise does not meet all Contest conditions, the winner will not be selected as winner and will be deemed to have forfeited the prizes in question and MDM shall be entitled to select a new winner from the qualified Contestants, who will be subject to disqualification in the same manner.

Where permitted by law, the Contestants will provide MDM and those acting pursuant to its direction or control, (and agree to confirm such grant in writing upon request), the right to print, publish, broadcast and use, worldwide in any media now known or hereafter developed, including but not limited to the world wide web, at any time or times, their performance submission, their name, portrait, picture, video, voice, likeness and biographical information as news or information and for advertising, trade and promotional purposes without additional consideration and without notification, review or approval.

Laws and Regulations

All federal, provincial and municipal laws and regulations apply. Any Contest entries not complying with any applicable federal, provincial and municipal laws or regulations will be considered to be null and void. All applicable taxes are the sole responsibility of the winner. By participating in this Contest, the Contestant acknowledges that they have read the Rules and agreed to abide by their terms and by the decisions of MDM. All decisions of MDM are final and binding in all matters relating to this Contest.