Submissions are now open for the Northern Ontario Music and Film Awards (NOMFA) to be held in Sudbury on May 27, 2017.
After a three-year hiatus, the NOMFA conference returned in 2015 as Music and Film in Motion (MFM) altered the format from an annual to a biennial event.
“From an organizational stand point, we get to put a lot more deliberate work into it and make it a really great event,” said MFM Music Outreach Officer Jen McKerral about hosting the conference every two years. “It also lengthens the amount of time from which we can pull eligible projects.”
There are a number of advantages to conference participants and award nominees, she said, adding that it is an attractive addition to any artist’s EPK.
“It’s an opportunity to meet a lot of great people in the industry who might end up being great connections, building business relationships for the artists,” McKerral said. “It’s also a great opportunity to network with other artists in the north.”
In addition to the long-standing music and film award categories, NOMFA now includes two television-specific categories – Best Television Series and Best Television Episode.
Also new this year is the Best Album By a Francophone Artist category.
“We would be really remiss to ignore the quality of the products coming out of the Francophone music scene,” McKerral explained, adding that Indigenous categories are forthcoming.
More outreach is required in order to build a solid program around Indigenous artists, she said.
The submission deadline for the 2017 NOMFA conference is 5 p.m. on Jan. 31, 2017.
Previous NOMFA winners and/or nominees affiliated with Sault Ste. Marie include Lee Chambers, Rusty McCarthy, Mark Gough, Kalle Mattson, Big Wheel and the Spokes, Frank Deresti and the Lake Effect, Faraway Neighbours, The Wild Turkeys, and Al Wood and the Woodsmen.
For more information about the awards and conference, or to submit your entries online, please click here.
