Earlier this month, it was reported that organizers of the JUNO Awards were putting the Reggae Recording, Children's Album, Christian/Gospel Album and International Album of the Year categories of its annual honours "on hiatus" for 2025. Following backlash from Canadian artists, fans and community leaders alike, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) announced yesterday (September 17) that three of those four categories — Reggae Recording, Children's Album and Christian/Gospel Album of the Year — would be reinstated.
President and CEO of the Juno Awards and CARAS, Allen Reid, shared the news on social media, writing, "Over the course of last year, CARAS underwent an extensive process reviewing all award categories, taking into consideration data such as consumption, number of submissions, and other metrics. Given the feedback from the community, CARAS will not put these three categories on hiatus this year."
Reid added that an official notice outlining categorical changes for the 2025 JUNO Awards will be issued on Monday (September 23) to provide further clarity on the organization's direction and vision for the accolades. "We are excited about these changes, including bringing in new categories to reflect the evolution of the Canadian music scene," he wrote.
The fate of the International Album of the Year category for next year's awards — set to be hosted in Vancouver on March 30 — has thus far gone unmentioned.