• Best R & B Artist
For newly recorded solo R&B performances. Vocal solos performed by members of an established duo or group are not eligible in this category.

Rhythm and blues (also known as R&B, R'n'B or RnB) is the name given to a wide-ranging genre of popular music created by African Americans in the late 1940s and early 1950s. R&B traces its roots from traditional blues music, gospel and soul music. Modern R&B is characteristic of the vocal styles (with traces of soul, gospel and blues) and is usually accompanied by piano (and keyboards), one or two guitars, bass, drums, and sax.

• Best Urban Artist
A musical genre which was developed alongside hip hop culture, and is commonly based on songwriting concepts of looping, rapping, freestyling, DJing, scratching, sampling and beatboxing. The music is used to express concerns of political, social, and personal issues. Hip hop began in the Bronx in New York City in the 1970s, primarily among African Americans, with some Jamaican immigrant influence. The term rap is often used synonymously with hip hop, however, the latter denotes the practices of an entire subculture.

• Best Alternative Artist
Alternative rock (also called alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a genre of rock music that emerged in the 1980s and became widely popular in the 1990s. Alternative rock consists of various subgenres that have emerged from the independent music scene since the 1980s, such as grunge in the early 90’s, Britpop from mid to late 90’s, gothic rock, and indie pop from late 90’s to the present.

• Best Pop Male Artist
For newly recorded solo male pop vocal performances. Vocal solos performed by members of an established duo or group are not eligible in this category as separate entries from the duo or group performances.

• Best Pop Female Artist
For newly recorded solo female pop vocal performances. Vocal solos performed by members of an established duo or group are not eligible in this category as separate entries from the duo or group performances.

• Best Pop Group
For newly recorded pop performances with vocals. For established duos or groups only.

Pop music is a music genre that was developed from the mid-1950s as a softer alternative to rock 'n' roll and later to rock music. It has a focus on commercial recording, often orientated towards a youth market, usually through the medium of relatively short and simple love songs. While these basic elements of the genre have remained fairly constant, pop music has absorbed influences from most other forms of popular music, particularly borrowing from the development of rock music, and utilizing key technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.

• Best New Artist
A new artist is defined as any performing artist who releases, during the eligibility year, the recording that first establishes the public identity of that artist as a performer. Any previous RMA nomination for the artist as a performer precludes eligibility in the Best New Artist category (including a nomination as an established performing member of a nominated group). Eligibility may, however, include individuals or groups who have appeared as non-featured performers on prior recordings and solo artists formerly with groups whose recordings were released prior to the eligibility year, provided they had not received an RMA Award in a performance category as a member of the group. NOTE: The artist must have released, as a featured performing artist, at least one album.

• Best Album Concept
This category awards original album concept who meet the eligibility requirements. Criteria for judging includes: originality of album concept, overall album appreciation and merchandising impact. Only album recordings are eligible. Albums which meet the general eligibility criteria may be eligible for this award even though they may not meet specific criteria for other awards. For the purposes of clarity, this may include a greatest hits album or a new compilation of previously recorded works. The award will be given to the person with overall responsibility for the album concept.

• Best Dance Artist
Solo artists, groups, production teams and various artist compilations are eligible. Album and single recordings are eligible provided they have been commercially released. Artists working primarily within the dance genre, eg: House, Techno, Trance, Hardcore, Garage, Breakbeat, Drum & Bass, Disco and Electronica are eligible. In the case of a remixed album or single, the production team(s) and the original recording artist(s) must both meet the artist eligibility criteria.

• Best Rendition
Solo artists and groups are eligible. Only album recordings are eligible. This category encompasses predominately indigenous music. Artist cannot be entered in any other genre category.

Rendition refers to artist's reinterpretation of a known classic, how an artist enhances what's already great in a song and adds his/her own style to further enhance the song.

• Best Collaboration
For newly recorded collaborative pop performances with vocals. For artists who do not normally perform together. The collaborative artist(s) should be recognized as a featured artist(s). In addition, there must be significant performance by the collaborative artist(s) beyond what might be considered merely accompaniment. These guidelines are essential for a collaboration to qualify. Final determination will be made by The RMA Committees.

• Breakthrough Artist
Solo artists and groups are eligible. Artist and groups are not eligible if they, or any member of the group, has previously reached the final (5) nominations in any RMA Awards category. Entries must be accompanied by a list of group members appearing on the single.

Breakthrough Artist is an artist that has proven him/herself to have the potential to be a big artist by releasing an album that has several hits to it or at least a hit song that has cross over to multi format radio, TV and other media.

• Best World Music Artist
Solo artists and groups are eligible. Only album recordings are eligible. This category encompasses predominately indigenous, ethnic, folk or cross-cultural music. Artist cannot be entered in any other genre category.

• Best Independent Artist
Solo artists and groups are eligible. Album and single recordings are eligible. The nominated recording must be released by either an independent label or a member, provided that such member is not part of a multinational corporation. Recordings for which the production costs are funded either: (a) by a Levy Member; or (b) by a local license or distribution deal; or (c) through an overseas licensing or distribution deal are not eligible.

• Song of the Year
A song must contain melody and lyrics and must be either a new song or a song first achieving prominence during the eligibility year. Songs containing prominent samples or interpolations are not eligible.

• Album of the Year
Solo artists and groups are eligible. Albums must contain at least 51% playing time of NEWLY RECORDED material. Award to the artist(s), and to the album producer(s), recording engineer(s) and/or mixer(s), and mastering engineer(s) if other than the artist. NOTE: Associate producers and executive producers are not eligible. Albums of previously released recordings (reissues, compilations of old recordings and "Best Of" packages) are not eligible.

• Lifetime Achievement Award
This Special Merit Award is presented by vote of The RMA Committees to performers who, during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artist significance to the field of recording.