2026 Juno Nominees Including Local Artists

The Junos are coming once again to the Hammer and a number of local artists have been given the nod.

The main ceremony will be televised on March 29, 2026 from TD Coliseum in Hamilton.

Below is a video of the official announcement.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

Below is a complete list of nominees. Local acts are bolded.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR 

• Later Tonight - Josh Ross (Waterdown) 
• The Hard Way - Cameron Whitcomb
• SWAG II - Justin Bieber 
• So Close To What - Tate McRae 
• Hurry Up Tomorrow - The Weeknd 

BLUES ALBUM OF THE YEAR 

• Ooh Yeah! - Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne (formerly of Burlington) released on Stony Plain (Waterdown) 
  
  
  
  Links: Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne, More Kenny "Blues Boss" Stories, Video above courtesy of Kenny 'Blues Boss' Wayne - Topic
  
  
• Hear My Heart - Steve Marriner (ft Hamilton's Jesse O'Brien on keys) 
• Sing Pretty Blues - Crystal Shawanda 
• The Medicine - Miss Emily 
• Answer the Call - Secondhand Dreamcar 

CHILDREN’S ALBUM OF THE YEAR 

• Little Leaf - Chris McKhool (Burlington) 
• Ari Cui Cui et les jeux d’rôles (Les contes classiques en musique) - Ari Cui Cui 
• All the Earth Speaks - Ginalina 
• Hip Kids Music, Vol. 1 - Hip Kids Music 
• Maestro Fresh Wes Presents: Young Maestro “Rhyme Travellers – Back to the Time Machine”  - Young Maestro 

CLASSICAL COMPOSITION OF THE YEAR 

• Kimiko’s Pearl - Kevin Lau (commissioned by Bravo Niagara)
• Cloud Path - Amy Brandon 
• The Laws of Nature - Andrew Staniland 
• The Complete Piano Solos (1989-2023) Vol. 1 – The Plains - Linda Catlin Smith 
• Music for Body-Without-Organs - Nicole Lizée 

COUNTRY ALBUM OF THE YEAR

• Later Tonight - Josh Ross (Waterdown )
• Let Your Horses Run - Brett Kissel 
• The Hard Way - Cameron Whitcomb 
• One Of Us - James Barker Band 
• Golden Child - Meghan Patrick 

FAN CHOICE 

• Josh Ross (Waterdown) 
• bbno$ 
• Cameron Whitcomb 
• James Barker Band 
• Justin Bieber 
• Karan Aujla 
• Shawn Mendes 
• Shubh 
• Tate McRae
• The Weeknd

METAL/HARD MUSIC ALBUM OF THE YEAR 

• Antibloom - Silverstein (Burlington)
  
  
  
  Links: Silverstein, More Silverstein Stories, Video above courtesy of UNFD
  
  
• Heaven Let Them Die - Counterparts 
• An Insatiable Violence - Cryptopsy 
• Shadow Work - DESPISED ICON 
• A Pathway to the Moon - Unreqvited 

RECORDING ENGINEER OF THE YEAR 

• John ‘Beetle’ Bailey (Waterloo)
• Jason Dufour
• L Stu Young
• Serban Ghenea
• Shawn Everett

SINGLE OF THE YEAR 

• Hate How You Look - Josh Ross (Waterdown) 
  
  
  
  Links: Josh Ross, More Josh Ross Stories, Video above courtesy of JOSH ROSS
  
  
• Options - Cameron Whitcomb 
• DAISIES - Justin Bieber 
• Sports Car - Tate McRae 
• Cry For Me - The Weeknd 

ADULT ALTERNATIVE ALBUM OF THE YEAR

• My Second Last Album - Bahamas 
• Fantasy Life - Begonia 
• Uh Oh Patrick - Watson 
• Let it Hiss - The Barr Brothers 
• Humanhood - The Weather Station 

ALBUM ARTWORK OF THE YEAR 

• Pink Elephant – Arcade Fire 
  Catherine Lepage (Art Director/Directrice artistique), Simon Rivest (Art Director/Directeur artistique), Daniel Lanois (Illustrator/Illustrateur), Norah Chassagne (Illustrator/Illustratrice), Régine Chassagne (Illustrator/Illustratrice, Photographer/Photographe)
  
  
• Beat Bouquet – Misc Spectacles 
  Jérôme Beaulieu (Art Director/Directeur artistique), Etienne Bonneville (Designer/Concepteur), Chris de Muri (Illustrator/Illustrateur) Alina Herta (Photographer/Photographe)
  
  
• Tsunami Sea – Spiritbox 
  Kevin Moore (Art Director/Directeur artistique), Kyle Joinson (Photographer/Photographe)
  
  
• The Hard Way – Cameron Whitcomb 
  Logan Dane Morrison (Art Director/Directeur artistique)
  
  
• Bambini Symphonique – Alain Trudel and Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal GSI
  Mykael Nelson (Art Director/Directeur artistique), Nicolas Lemieux (Designer/Concepteur), Liliane Jodoin (Illustrator/Illustrateur) & Felipe Arriagada (Illustrator/Illustrateur)

ALTERNATIVE ALBUM OF THE YEAR

• Edge Of The Earth - Aysanabee 
• Who Will Look After The Dogs? - PUP 
• SAYA - Saya Gray 
• SORRY, IT’S OVER - The OBGMs 
• All Cylinders - Yves Jarvis 

ADULT CONTEMPORARY ALBUM OF THE YEAR 

• NU2U - Nuela Charles 
• Conditions of Love Vol. 1 - Rose Cousins 
• Better Broken - Sarah McLachlan 
• Rebuild - Shawn Hook 
• Believer - Sister Ray 

ARTIST OF THE YEAR 

• bbno$ 
• Daniel Caesar 
• Justin Bieber 
• Tate McRae 
• The Weeknd

BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST OR GROUP OF THE YEAR 

• Cameron Whitcomb 
• Goldie Boutilier 
• Jade LeMac 
• Jutes 
• MICO 
• Noeline Hofmann 
• Sacha 
• Saya Gray 
• Sofia Camara 
• yung kai 

CLASSICAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR (LARGE ENSEMBLE) 

• Benedict Sheehan: Ukrainian War Requiem
• Where Waters Meet Canadian Chamber Choir featuring Sherryl Sewepagaham 
• Ichmouratov: The Ninth Wave, Viola Concerto No. 2, Cello Concerto No. 1 
• Haydn: Symphony No. 43 in E-Flat Major, Hob. I:43 “Mercury” & Symphony No. 49 in F Minor, Hob. I:49 “La passione” 
• Stravinsky: Pulcinella, Le Baiser de la fée (Divertimento) 

CLASSICAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR (SMALL ENSEMBLE) 

• Current: MISSING ATOM (Artists of the Opera MISSING), Timothy Long & The Continuum Ensemble - Bright Shiny Things
• Re/String - CC Duo & collectif9 
• Vivaldi Les Quatres Nations (reconstruites) -  Ensemble Caprice 
• Kevin Lau: Kimiko’s Pearl - Mariko Anraku, Conrad Chow, Ron Korb & Rachel Mercer 
• in an archipelago - Standing Wave 

CLASSICAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR (SOLO ARTIST)

• Tchaikovsky: The Seasons - Bruce Liu 
• Zaytoun - Haitham Haidar 
• Preludes by Chopin, Bach, Rachmaninoff, Messiaen, Górecki - Jan Lisiecki 
• Awake and Dreaming - Katherine Dowling 
• Obsession - Marie Nadeau-Tremblay 

COMEDY ALBUM OF THE YEAR 

• Dragonflies - Adam Christie 
• Fish From the Jar - Charlie Demers 
• Dawud - Dave Merheje 
• homesick. - Faris Hytiaa 
• I’m Nervous - Robby Hoffman 

CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN/GOSPEL ALBUM OF THE YEAR

• VULNERABLE TOO - Bridge Music 
• Outlaw Gospel - collect.assembly 
• the light that leads to YOU - Elenee 
• WHERE THE HEART IS - Kofi Dartey 
• Jubilate - Ryan Ofei 

CONTEMPORARY INDIGENOUS ARTIST OR GROUP OF THE YEAR 

• Edge Of The Earth - Aysanabee 
• LOVECHILD - Sebastian Gaskin 
• Chapter 1 - Shawnee Kish 
• Siibii - Siibii 
• Sage My Soul - Tia Wood 

CONTEMPORARY R&B RECORDING OF THE YEAR 

• Set Me Free - Adria Kain 
• Mirage - Avenoir 
• Son Of Spergy - Daniel Caesar 
• PAID IN MEMORIES - Jessie Reyez 
• Life 2 - Majid Jordan 
• THERAPIST - SadBoi 

CONTEMPORARY ROOTS ALBUM OF THE YEAR

• Strange Trip Ahead - Mariel Buckley 
• The Hammer & The Rose - Matt Andersen 
• Purple Gas - Noeline Hofmann 
• These Dark Canyons - The Young Novelists 
• Further From the Country - William Prince 

DANCE RECORDING OF THE YEAR

• Loving You - Kideko & A-Trak 
• Do What I Want - Anna Sofia 
• Dominate - CHYL 
• Bet On Me - Debby Friday Royal
• i, sabotage - Felix Cartal 

ELECTRONIC ALBUM OF THE YEAR 

• Channel 303 - Cloverdale 
• The Starrr Of The Queen Of Life - Debby Friday Royal 
• Bab El Mdina - Didon 
• Shades of Meridian - ÈBONY 
• Glow Up - Korea Town Acid

FRANCOPHONE ALBUM OF THE YEAR

• Dogue - Ariane Roy La 
• On s’enverra des fleurs - Fredz 
• Les amours de seconde main - JF Pauzé 
• Journal d’un Loup-Garou - Lou-Adriane Cassidy 
• Dix chansons démodées pour ceux qui ont le cœur abîmé - Pierre Lapointe 

GLOBAL MUSIC ALBUM OF THE YEAR 

• Bab El Mdina - Didon 
• Ghoyoum - Kazdoura 
• Future Village - Kizaba 
• Legends - PIQSIQ 
• Rammana - Salin 

GROUP OF THE YEAR 

• Arcade Fire 
• Mother Mother
• Peach Pit 
• The Beaches 
• Three Days Grace 

INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR 

• LOTUSLAND - Aaron Paris 
• The love it took to leave you - Colin Stetson 
• Ritual II - Crown Lands 
• désert (deluxe) - Jean-Michel Blais & Lara Somogyi 
• Le piano et le torrent - Viviane Audet

JACK RICHARDSON PRODUCER OF THE YEAR 

• Cirkut
• Greg Wells
• Gus van Go
• Joel Stouffer
• Karen Kosowski

JAZZ ALBUM OF THE YEAR (GROUP) 

• Afrokando - Alexis Baro Y la Big Band 
• CODE Red - CODE Quartet 
• Are You Really Real - Shuffle Demons 
• Impact - The Steve Holt Jazz Impact Quintet 
• East Meets West: Connections - Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra 

LATIN MUSIC RECORDING OF THE YEAR 

• Índole - Alex Cuba 
• BAILA Y CONFÍA - Andy Rubal 
• Vanity- Isabella Lovestory 
• La Belleza - Lido Pimienta 
• He Sanado Varias Cosas - Mario Puglia 

JAZZ ALBUM OF THE YEAR (SOLO) 

• City Lights - Anthony D’Alessandro 
• Kinda Out West - Aretha Tillotson 
• Immersed - Justin Gray 
• Deeper Down - Nancy Walker 
• Crossing Paths - Renee Rosnes

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR 

• Bellatores - Adrian Villagomez Apashe & Vladimir Cauchemar 
• DRIVING - Adrian Villagomez Eddie Benjamin 
• luther - Karena Evans Kendrick Lamar & SZA 
• OK! - Shiraz Haviah Mighty 
• Listen2me - Winston Hacking Foxwarren 

POP ALBUM OF THE YEAR 

• bbno$ - bbno$ 
• SWAG II - Justin Bieber 
• 7 - Nelly Furtado 
• So Close To What - Tate McRae 
• Hurry Up Tomorrow - The Weeknd 

RAP ALBUM/EP OF THE YEAR 

• KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE SPARROW - ARDN 
• About Time - Connor Price 
• Misery Loves Company - NorthSideBenji 
• DRY CRY - SadBoi 
• ELEMENTS Vol. 2 - TOBi 

RAP SINGLE OF THE YEAR

• Mula feat. Big Sean - Connor Price 
• PURSUIT - Freddie Dredd 
• UNLIMITED feat. Playboi Carti - NAV 
• DUMB - SonReal & Snotty Nose Rez Kids 
• Who’s Driving You? - TOBi, Saukrates & Jully Black

REGGAE RECORDING OF THE YEAR 

• Ready For You - Exco Levi & Kheilstone 
• Dagga Riddim Cypher Jojo  - You Made That, Yung 2nuff, Erin B, Topman Meeko, One Don & Enzooo  
• Deh Yah - Kirk Diamond 
• Welcome To Paradise - Naomi Cowan 
• More Reggae (Funk It Up) - Samora & Ammoye 

ROCK ALBUM OF THE YEAR 

• Roll With The Punches - Bryan Adams 
• INERTIA - grandson 
• No Hard Feelings - The Beaches 
• Metro - The Blue Stones 
• The Damn Truth - The Damn Truth 
• Alienation - Three Days Grace 

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR 

• Ashton Simmonds (Daniel Caesar)
• Jessie Reyez
• Justin Bieber 
• Tate McRae 
• The Beaches 

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR (NON-PERFORMER) 

• Elizabeth Lowell Boland
• Hayley Gene Penner
• Mustafa
• Nathan Ferraro 
• Tobias Jesso Jr.

SOUTH ASIAN MUSIC RECORDING OF THE YEAR 

• Afsos - AP Dhillon & Anuv Jain 
• P-POP CULTURE - Karan Aujla 
• Renaissance - Ikky & Raf Saperra 
• Supreme - Shubh 
• By Any Means - Sukha

TRADITIONAL INDIGENOUS ARTIST OR GROUP OF THE YEAR

• Battle At The Beach - Bad Eagle 
• On The Move - Bear Creek 
• Me & You - Manitou Mkwa Singers 
• Anirniliit Suli - Piunguałaq 
• Nakota Tayhunyabi - YB Nakota 

TRADITIONAL R&B/SOUL RECORDING OF THE YEAR 

• Have A Baby (With Me) - Daniel Caesar 
• **GOLIATH** - Jessie Reyez 
• Say Yes - Melanie Fiona 
• Formed - Savannah Ré 
• Reasons To Stay - Tanika Charles 

TRADITIONAL ROOTS ALBUM OF THE YEAR 

• I Lost My Heart On Friday - Aerialists 
• Gold and Coal - Cassie and Maggie 
• The Moon’s Daughter - Heather MacIsaac 
• Heal The Divide - Morgan Toney 
• Folk Signals - The Southern Residents 

UNDERGROUND DANCE SINGLE OF THE YEAR

• Cosmic Affliction (toi toi toi) - AADJA BPitch 
• Main de Fer - Annie-Claude Deschênes 
• Icarus F7 - Acting 
• Phantom Vibrations feat. Teddy Bryant - Gene Tellem Love 
• Yeah! - Pacific Coliseum 

VOCAL JAZZ ALBUM OF THE YEAR 

• Under the Lemon Tree - Ale Nuñez 
• Alex Samaras Meets Judy Garland - Alex Samaras 
• Seascape feat. Norma Winstone & Joe LaBarbera - Atlantic Jazz Collective 
• Caity Gyorgy with Strings - Caity Gyorgy & Mark Limacher 
• Get Out of Town - Laura Anglade 

Links: Juno Awards, More Juno Stories

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