I. CATEGORIES

A. Technical Group: Nominees under this category group will be evaluated by peer artists, music journalists, music industry experts, and executives including Grammy-level producers to determine the winner.

Song of the Year - Song of outstanding creative and technical excellence.

Music Video of the Year - Music video of outstanding creative and technical excellence.

Album of the Year - Album of outstanding creative and technical excellence.

Debut Recording Artist of the Year - Debut song of outstanding creative and technical excellence.

Music Producer of the Year - Producer of a song of outstanding creative and technical excellence.

DJ Producer of the Year - Outstanding production by a DJ Producer.

Musivv CHARTS Track of the Year - Song that gathered the most digital data.

Band of the Year - Outstanding music production by a band.

B. Achievement Group: Nominees under this category group will be evaluated based on achievement by peer artists, music journalists, and music industry experts.

ROOTS Artist of the Year - Artists who are of Middle Eastern descent residing outside of the Middle East

CULTURE Artist of the Year - Artists who promote the musical heritage

DJ Remixer of the Year - DJs residing in the UAE

C. Technical + Achievement Group:

HOMEGROWN Artist of the Year - Artists who are residents of the UAE

Artist of the Year - Artist of outstanding achievement and excellent song recording.

NEXT Artist of the Year - Artists who are 7-19 years old

MIXER Artist of the Year - Artists residing outside of the Middle East who were featured on UAE platforms

D. Excellence Awards:

Concert Photographer of the Year - Photographers who photographed artists who performed live

Music Photographer of the Year - Photographers who photographed artists in a studio setting

Cover Artwork of the Year - Designers who illustrated art covers by hand or digitally

Fans Choice of the Year - Artist who wins via public voting

E. Miscellaneous

Musivv Artist of the Year - Artist chosen by Musivv.

II. PROCESS

A: ELIGIBILITY.

The eligibility period is set from January 1, 2023 - December 31, 2023, and is decided by Musivv. Artists must have released a song within the eligibility period. Other categories require work and achievement within the eligibility period.

B. SUBMISSION

All submissions shall be done through the official submission form set up on musivv.com/awards/submission and must be duly filled up by candidates and/or labels before December 31, 20232. Categories may vary in submission requirements.

• Song-Based. 

• For Artists. Artists must fill up the official submission form with links to their songs. Artists may submit two (2) of their best songs.
• For Music Platforms. Musivv + The BarCoe Studio will invite music platforms promoting independent artists (in the UAE and internationally) to disseminate the information to their pool of artists.

• Achievement-Based. 

• Icon of the Year. Individuals may submit their company profile or otherwise selected by Musivv + The BarCoe
• Others are chosen by Musivv.

• Creative-Based. Photographers must submit their photos via the official submission form.
• Public-Based. Same as Song-based.

C. NOMINATION. Once the final list of artists' submissions is gathered, the awards committee shall commence the initial evaluation, selection and nomination process. A maximum of ten (10) artists per category will be adhered to. Artists who are shortlisted as nominees shall be notified via email to accept or decline nominations.

Criteria for evaluating songs:

Song Structure and Composition

• The song has a clear theme or cohesive idea
• The song has identifiable sections
• The song is between 2 to 5 minutes

Lyrical Aptitude

• The lyrics evoke an emotional response from the listener
• The lyrics are singable and memorable
• The lyrics have an identifiable rhyme scheme or pattern

Music and Melody

• The music and melody add to the emotional impact of the song
• The music keeps the listener interested and engaged
• The music and lyrics fit together in a cohesive way

Originality

• The song expresses the theme in a new or fresh way
• The song is memorable
• The song has commercial potential

Producer of the Year. Production Techniques: Loudness, Definition, Space, Panning etc. Sound Design.

Concert Photographer of the Year. Style, Impact, Story, Technical Quality, Creativity, Composition, Use of Color, Points of Interest, Presentation

Music Photographer of the Year. Style, Impact, Story, Technical Quality, Creativity, Composition, Use of Color, Points of Interest, Presentation

D. VOTING. The voting jury consists of peer artists, music journalists, music industry experts, and executives including Grammy-level producers. Voting members shall receive the ballots via a secure URL and must submit their cast votes on or before January 30, 2024. Ballots shall contain links to individual artists' nominated songs. Once all the ballots are received they are then submitted to the commissioned third-party auditor for tallying and validation and shall remain confidential until the LIVE winner announcement event on  March 2024.

E. ANNOUNCEMENT. Winners will be announced during a live event hosted by (TBD). Results will be printed and sealed in an envelope and will be delivered by the commissioned third-party auditor.

F. Tokens. Winners will receive trophies and equivalent NFTs. Artists can decide whether to auction their NFTs or keep them as souvenirs. Musivv will commission the company that will produce the trophy as designed by Musivv.