The CMA Awards

The 45th Annual CMA Awards will be broadcast live on ABC on November 9th, 2011.

The Trophy

At its inception in 1967, the CMA Award trophy was designed to resemble a chart bullet. Constructed of a rich walnut and a sturdy marble, the trophy signified the strength, durability and warmth of the genre. A brass music note adorning the center read “Best Liked World Wide.” The limited supply of walnut wood in 1983 encouraged a transition to crystal, a material still used today. With the update arrived a new CMA emblem.

Today’s trophy is a stylish, high-value adornment made of hand-blown crystal in Florence, Italy, with final assembly by Francis & Lusky in Nashville, Tenn. At 15 inches tall and 7.5 pounds, the CMA Award is a fine Italian crystal obelisk. The Country Music Association logo appears on a tri-level, die-struck medallion in polished bronze. A satin brass nameplate featuring the winner’s name and CMA Awards category completes the trophy once winners have been announced.

The Voting Process

Any mention of the CMA Awards elicits the question of how winners are selected. The answer does much to explain why the CMA Awards is the most-highly regarded and coveted award in the Country Music industry.

CMA Awards winners are chosen in three rounds of voting. Votes are cast by industry professional members of the Country Music Association – meaning Awards winners are honored by their peers in the music industry.

Awards criteria, rules of election and balloting procedures are established by CMA’s Board of Directors. Singles, albums, music videos and qualify music products for the musical event must have been first released during the eligibility period.

Three rounds of voting:

Ballot 1: Each CMA member may nominate one act in each category on the first ballot.

The top 20 qualified vote recipients in each category become official nominees on the second ballot. In the Entertainer of the Year category the top 15 qualified nominees will advance to the second ballot.

Ballot 2: On the second ballot, CMA members must vote for up to five nominees in each category. The results are tabulated. The top five vote-getters in each category are the final nominees and appear on the third/final ballot.

Ballot 3: On the final ballot, members vote for one nominee in each category to determine the winners.

The entire balloting process is conducted and certified by the international accounting firm Deloitte & Touche LLP

For CMA Awards Criteria and more visit CMAAwards.com

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