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Canada’s Juno Awards Drops Reggae Category For 2025

  • Liam Morgan
    • Buju Banton returns the US on tour

    Buju Banton returns the US on tour

    The Juno Awards will eliminate four categories from next year’s event as part of a comprehensive review of Canada’s premier music awards show.

    In a letter obtained by The Canadian Press, organizers informed committee members last week of the decision to place the Reggae Recording, Children’s Album, Christian/Gospel Album, and International Album of the Year categories on “hiatus.”

    The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) indicated that this move is part of a broader set of updates, with more changes to be announced later.

    First introduced as the RPM Gold Leaf Awards, the Juno Awards were initially announced in RPM Magazine ahead of the first ceremony on February 23, 1970, honoring recordings from 1969.

    Notably, the Reggae Recording of the Year award has been part of the Junos since 1985. No reggae award was presented in 1992 or 1993 but it has been presented consistently since 1994, the year when Snow won for his album Informer.

    In recent years, the four categories now being placed on hiatus were presented during an industry ceremony the night before the televised Junos broadcast.

    The Juno Awards, often regarded as Canada’s equivalent of the Grammys, are presented by CARAS to recognize outstanding achievements in the country’s music industry. Major reggae acts like Bob Marley, Burning Spear, Buju Banton, Sizzla or others have never won an award despite their popularity in Canada.

    The 2025 Juno Awards will take place in Vancouver on March 30.

    Here’s a list of the winners of the Juno Awards in the Reggae category:

     

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