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Learn more about the induction process

Induction Guidelines Statement:

The mandate of the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame (CSHF) is to honour and celebrate Canadian songwritersand others who’ve dedicated their lives to the legacy of music, and to educate the public about their achievements.

With the foregoing statement in mind, the Board of Directors of the CSHF have developed the following guidelines to set out the general criteria for induction eligibility in any one of three categories – songs, songwriters, and other people who’ve made significant contributions to the legacy of music:

Songwriter Criteria:

Songwriters must be Canadian by birth or citizenship, or have landed immigrant status, and may be living or dead. Songwriters must have written or co-written the music and/or lyrics to a song, or catalogue of songs, in one or more of the following categories:

Having entered into popular culture and been sustained through oral tradition for a significant period of time;
Having achieved substantial regional, national, and/or international status, whether culturally, commercially, and/or socially;
Having recorded a historical event, or helped to define an era of popular culture;
Having created, or helped to create, a genre of music.

Songwriters must have made a significant contribution through a song, or catalogue of songs, published, or otherwise made available to the public in some form, for at least 25 years. By virtue of their induction to the CSHF, a songwriter inductee’s entire catalogue of work is also recognized, and inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Song Criteria

An eligible song is a musical work that is comprised of lyrics and music, or music alone without lyrics, written wholly or in part by a Canadian (that is, Canadian by birth or citizenship, or having landed immigrant status), living or dead, and may qualify in one or more of the following categories:

Having entered into popular culture and been sustained through oral tradition for a significant period of time;
Having achieved substantial regional, national, and/or international status whether culturally, commercially, and/or socially;
Having recorded a historical event, or helped to define an era of popular culture;
Having created, or helped to create, a genre of music.

Special Achievement Recipients

With respect to the induction of those individuals who’ve contributed significantly to the development and recognition of Canadian songs and songwriters (such as, but not limited to, publishers, performers, broadcasters, and other members of the media, collectors and compilers of traditional material, performers of Canadian songs, etc.), the Board will review any recommendations made to them by the Anglophone and Francophone Induction Committees. These awards are presented at the discretion of the Board of Directors.

The Frank Davies Founder’s Award:

The CSHF was the vision of Frank Davies, who founded the organization in 1998. The Frank Davies Founder’s Award is presented to those who have contributed significantly to the development, promotion and preservation of Canadian songs and songwriters.

Induction Committees

The CSHF has two Induction Committees, one Anglophone and the other Francophone. They’re composed of individuals who have a deep historical knowledge of Canadian music and songwriters. The purpose of the committees is to set recommended guidelines for induction eligibility, supervise the research process required to recommend inductees, recommend songwriters and songs for induction, and oversee all such other matters that may constitute “induction” issues; all subject to approval by the CSHF Board of Directors. The number of inductees, if any, in any given year shall be at the discretion of the Board. The Board shall also have the option to override guidelines in exceptional circumstances.