Folk Canada has announced the nominees for the 2025 Ontario Folk Music Awards to be handed out Oct. 15 at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.
Presented in partnership with the NAC, the 31st annual event will formally launch this year’s Folk Music Ontario Conference.
The event will feature performances by a select number of nominated artists and special guests, and for the first time in 2025 will include two brand new categories: Music Video of the Year and the Culture in Climate Award, which recognizes an individual, organization, or company in Canada’s Folk music sector that has demonstrated outstanding commitment to climate action and environmental responsibility.
Still to be announced are the Estelle Klein Award recipients, the first ever Culture in Climate recipient, the laureate for the Colleen Peterson Songwriting Award and the Taylor Mitchell Bursary recipient.
Here’s the list of nominees:
Song of the Year
- “Weighing Down” by Julian Taylor (Julian Dean Taylor, Tyler James Ellis)
- “There is a Power” by Larry Folk (Lawrence J Folk)
- “Just A Little Bit” by Lynne Hanson (Lynne Hanson, Blair Michael Hogan)
- “Only the Strong Survive” by Sam Drysdale (Sam Drysdale, Ally Sou, Tal Vaisman)
- “Best Remembered” by Savannah Shea (Savannah Shea)
- “Train Coming” by The Angelique Francis Band (Angelique Francis, Kiran Francis)
Album of the Year
- Anniversary by Abigail Lapell
- Precious Diamonds by Adrian Sutherland
- Kanzafula by Ahmed Moneka
- Ghoyoum by Kazdoura
- Slice of Life by Larnell Lewis
- Azadi by Tamar Ilana
Recording Artist of the Year
- Abigail Lapell
- Jessica Pearson and the East Wind
- Julian Taylor
- Steven Taetz
- The Angelique Francis Band
- Tragedy Ann
Performing Artist of the Year
- Bruno Capinan
- Gal George Gjurin
- Irish Millie
- Jessica Pearson and the East Wind
- Sultans of String
- Tennyson King
Music Video of the Year
- “Precious” by Adrian Sutherland
- “Khayal” by Kazdoura
- “Only the Strong Survive” by Sam Drysdale
- “Every Morning” by Tragedy Ann
- “Waltz of the Birds and the Bees” by Willowbrook
