UFV’s CIVL Radio station 101.7 celebrates local talent this summer by collecting submissions for its ninth annual Fraser Valley Music Awards. Any musicians, bands, or singer/songwriters who live or work in the area are eligible to apply with three original recordings. Winners will be selected in multiple categories for part of a $10,170 cash prize. The deadline for entry is Saturday, June 15.

CIVL’s Fraser Valley Music Awards began with a grant from the Community Radio Fund of Canada in 2015. Its first iteration was a Battle of the Bands in 2016 to raise funds for a second radio tower in Chilliwack. After cycling through various venues, the awards are now held at the Jam in Jubilee music festival, where select nominees will perform on July 18. Jam in Jubilee is presented by the Abbotsford Arts Council every Thursday in July in Jubilee Park, where audiences can enjoy musical performances, market vendors, local art, and food truck offerings.

The $10,171 prize is divided among multiple acts based on the Dakota Leslie Memorial Fan Vote. Each nominee is automatically eligible — the more votes they receive, the higher percentage of the winnings they’ll earn.

CIVL’s executive director Aaron Levy says, “Dakota was an Abbotsford high school student who volunteered for CIVL radio when he was about 18, and unfortunately, he passed away in 2015. So right before we moved into the Student Union Building, we ended up naming our studio after him because he never broadcasted from that studio. He passed just before we moved in.”

Now, every year the FVMA’s award the Dakota Leslie Memorial Fan Vote prize in his honour. Aside from the prize money and the chance to perform, all applicants will hear their music on the CIVL airwaves and included in CIVL’s online playlists. They will also be added to a roster of acts used to book entertainment for upcoming community events.

The FVMA’s aim to be as inclusive and accessible as possible. Entry costs are only $5, and each applicant can enter under multiple different award categories, like Excellence in Performance by a Youth Artist, Queer Artist, Indigenous Artist, and more. Past nominees include Glisha from Surrey, Mission’s Cody Lawless, and Hooper Turnt Sanger from Chilliwack, who have all continued onto greater success.

“At CIVL radio, we know local artists struggle to be represented and get opportunities to perform and develop, and that is why we started this initiative,” Levy explains. “The FVMA’s are a great way to find out about more new artists that are in your town.”

Levy says though times are hard for innovative up-and-coming musicians in the Fraser Valley, their unique strengths and resilience keep them moving forward. By providing more funding, performance opportunities, and exposure to new audiences, CIVL Radio is doing their part to keep the arts alive and thriving in the valley.

Applications close at midnight June 15. Click here to learn more about the FVMA’s, and here to apply.