Award program
ISSA Awards
The International Singer-Songwriters Association Awards recognize independent singer-songwriters, recording artists and related music professionals through member self-nomination, fan participation and peer judging.
Registered membership controls access to artist self-nomination. Current qualification information includes a dedicated artist website and a catalog of at least five songs on major platforms. Fan participation affects advancement and is not scored as artist/work eligibility by MAC.
Entry model
Membership-based entry — registered members self-nominate
Music Awards Center support
Eligibility and self-nomination review; participation strategy.
- Who Can Submit
- Registered ISSA members through self-nomination
- Who It’s For
- Singer-songwriters • recording artists • bands
- Submission Method
- One self-nomination through the official process
Eligibility requirements
Key conditions that can affect whether a work or category is eligible.
Dedicated artist website
OfficialCurrent ISSA qualification information requires a dedicated artist website.
Why it matters: This is an explicit qualification condition in the current official awards information.
At least five songs on major platforms
OfficialCurrent ISSA qualification information requires at least five songs available on major platforms.
Why it matters: This establishes the minimum catalog availability described by ISSA.
Submission and participation
How entry, deadlines, membership, or participation work for this program.
Registered ISSA membership for self-nomination access
OfficialOnly registered ISSA members qualify to use the artist self-nomination process.
Why it matters: Membership controls access to nomination; MAC does not score it as artistic/work eligibility.
Complete one self-nomination
OfficialISSA requires the artist to personally complete one self-nomination through the official process when the applicable cycle is open.
Why it matters: Self-nomination is a process step, not artist/work eligibility.
Music Awards Center recommendations
Practical preparation guidance from Music Awards Center. These are recommendations, not official award requirements.
Keep nomination materials current
Keep the artist website, catalog links and profile information current so MAC can prepare the next official self-nomination efficiently.
Keep the ISSA profile and links current
Maintain accurate profile, website and streaming links between award cycles.
Common submission mistakes
Music Awards Center guidance on what commonly trips up submissions — not official requirements.
- Confusing membership with artistic eligibility
- Scoring fan popularity as a hard eligibility condition
- Missing the dedicated website or catalog qualification
- Treating an expired prior-cycle deadline as current guidance
Ready to check your ISSA Awards readiness?
Run your free Readiness Assessment and receive personalized recommendations based on the official ISSA Awards eligibility requirements.