The mission of the Vancouver Island Music Awards is to (1) CELEBRATE the Vancouver Island music scene, (2) Build AWARENESS of this scene among the general public on the island and across Canada, (3) Provide a NETWORKING opportunity between artists and music industry representatives, (4) Acknowledge & Reward EXCELLENCE in the artistry and work ethic of Vancouver Island and Canadian artists, (5) EMPOWER & ENCOURAGE Island and Canadian Artists to pursue their musical dreams, (6) Set a positive and professional example for YOUTH (and the young at heart!) who are pursuing a career in music.
Community
Contributing to the local community is a mandate of the Vancouver Island Music Awards. In addition to the event’s support and cultivation of local arts & culture, the VIMAs supports The Mustard Seed Food Bank in Victoria. Non-perishable food donations for the MSFB will be taken at the 2014 event. As VIMA is a community event, the community’s support and involvement is crucial and greatly appreciated. Thank-you to sponsors, ticket buyers, media, music industry representatives, and artists for contributing to the sustainability and ongoing evolution of this event.
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Vancouver Island Music Awards 
Hello, There is a strong blues scene on the island represented by two blues societies. Neither of which have an award to recognize artists.
As a band leader with four CDS and 17 years commited to my band, it would be great to be included in a blues catagory. A quick thought netted these catagories.
pop / rock
Metal/punk
folk
blues
jazz
country
world beat
Today even young people have very ecclectic tastes in music and I think not recognizing that is to lose credibility.
Hi Bill,
Thank-you for your input. The blues genre, as well as every other genre you mentioned, is in fact recognized within every VIMA category. Artists of all genres are encouraged to submit their music to the VIMA jury. No category is excluded. For example, this year blues artist Paul Black was nominated for Male Vocalist of the Year, and blues artist Dave Harris was nominated in a past year. At the independent level of the music scene, there is no way for our jury to hear music from island artists unless they submit it to our jury. At this point, our production budget still does not allow us to break our current categories down into genre sub-categories. In the future, we hope to have the budget to be able to do this. Your contribution to the Island’s blues scene and the island’s music scene in general is substantial and admirable, and we hope you will give our jury the opportunity to listen to your music later this year, in preparation for the 2012 VIMAs (see “Submit Music” page).
Thanks again for your feedback, and all the best in your musical adventures!
Cheers.
James Kasper
Producer, VIMAs.