The SOCAN Foundation has announced the winners for this year's fourth annual SiriusXM Black Canadian Music Awards: Ontario's NIA NADURATA and Kalisway, British Columbia's Haleluya Haliu and Bukola, and Nova Scotia's Obediya Jones-Darrell.
Chosen by a jury of Black Canadian artists and music industry professionals, each of the five winners will be granted $10,000 to advance their careers, while an additional five "Ones to Watch" — Seago, AfrotroniX, Kwazii, Laurie Torres and iaamSaam — receive awards valued at $1,000.
"I think I speak for the entire jury when I say that the unfolding of the amazing talent shown in the submissions is going to be quite exciting," SOCAN Foundation Jury Chair, Dena Williams, said in a press release. "The applicants this year were challenging to shortlist — but this is a good problem to have! I can truly say that I'm seeing a new level of quality, creativity, and genre diversity emerging within our community from coast to coast. These selected winners are just a snapshot of what's to come from Black artists across the country!"