Call for Nominations: Kevin Walters Legacy Awards

Press Release

April 3, 2025

Deadline: Thursday, April 17 at 4 PM

Manitoba Music’s Board of Directors is pleased to open the Kevin Walters Legacy Awards up to public nomination. The Kevin Walters Legacy Award and Kevin Walters Memorial Songwriter Award honour Kevin Walters, a long time Manitoba Music board member and music industry legend who passed away in 2014. The awards recognize emerging professionals currently working towards careers in the music industry.

About Kevin Walters

Kevin Walters was concert promoter, manager, industry worker, mover and shaker, and super connector. He had a massive impact on the music community in Manitoba, helping to build careers and mentor developing entrepreneurs, sharing his wealth of knowledge and expertise as the manager of music programs at Manitoba Film & Music. He went on to produce many major events in Winnipeg, was a founder of the Prairie Music Awards that became the Western Canadian Music Awards and BreakOut West, and was an integral part in bringing The JUNO Awards to Winnipeg twice. He was part of Manitoba Music’s board of directors for over a decade, taking on the role of president in 2012 that continued his tenure until his passing. During his time with us, he has helped Manitoba Music immeasurably; he’s been an instrumental part of our growth and development.

The Legacy Awards

Kevin Walters Legacy Award

Created in 2015, the Kevin Walters Legacy Award recognizes an emerging professional currently working towards a career in the music industry. This award is intended to contribute to the individual’s professional development.

Eligibility

An emerging professional working in music
A full-time resident of the province of Manitoba for a minimum of two (2) years
Someone who demonstrates the professional traits, values, and commitment of Kevin Walters, including strong participation in the community, is generous with their time and energy, and is a passionate advocate for Manitoba’s cultural scene.
Nominees can be an artist/performer, administrator, promoter, manager, agent, label, recording engineer, or other industry related role and may have recently launched a career in the music industry.

Recipient Award

Certificate of award
Cash award of $1,000
Up to $500 towards a music industry conference delegate pass of their choice
One year Manitoba Music membership and one year of complimentary entry to Manitoba Music seminars and workshops

Past Recipients

Stu Anderson (2015), Tim Jones (2016), Lauren Swann (2017), Gilad Carroll (2018), Ashley Au (2019), Alan Greyeyes (2020), Jennifer Doerksen (2021), MJ Dandeneau (2022), Elise Roller (2023), Keisha Booker (2024)

Kevin Walters Memorial Songwriter Award

Created in 2020 and supported by the Winnipeg Foundation, the Kevin Walters Memorial Songwriter Award recognizes an emerging or professional songwriter living and working in Manitoba. This award is intended to contribute to the individual’s professional development as a songwriter.

Eligibility

This award will recognize an emerging or professional songwriter with a minimum of six songs registered with SOCAN or similar organization
Must be a full-time resident of the province of Manitoba for a minimum of two (2) years
Demonstrates the professional traits, values, and commitment of Kevin Walters, including strong participation in the community, generosity with their time and energy, and a passion for Manitoba’s cultural scene.

Recipient Award

Certificate of award
Cash award of $1,000 from the Winnipeg Foundation, Kevin Walters Memorial Fund, intended to contribute to professional development costs including tuition, conference registration, course material, mentorship, travel, etc.
Up to $500 towards a music industry conference delegate pass of their choice provided by Manitoba Music
One year Manitoba Music membership and one year of complimentary entry to Manitoba Music seminars and workshops

Past Recipients

Matt Schellenberg (2019), Rayannah Kroeker (2020), Sebastian Gaskin (2021), Lana Winterhalt (2022), David and Joey Landreth (2023), Jade Turner (2024)

Who Can Nominate

Any member of the music community can put forward a name for nomination for either or both awards. Self-submissions are not eligible.

Nomination Process

Nominator must complete the online nomination form in full, including a brief rationale for the nomination (not more than 500 words).

Each nomination will be reviewed upon submission to ensure that it is complete and meets all eligibility requirements. Any submissions that are incomplete or ineligible will be disqualified.

All eligible applications will be considered by Manitoba Music’s Board of Directors. Primary considerations in adjudication include excellence demonstrated in the stated criteria, representation from equity-deserving communities, and an indication of how the award would help advance the candidate’s career. All decisions are final.

Timeline

Nominations must be received by Thursday, April 17 at 4 PM through the online form. The awards will be presented in June at the Manitoba Music Annual General Meeting.

ILR4