DMA Jazz celebrates this year’s releases, but JazzDanmark also wants to honor jazz as live music and shine a spotlight on the musicians who make the music truly special, both through collaboration and their individual uniqueness and virtuosity. This is reflected in the new categories.

Changes based on input from jazz scene stakeholders

After a thorough review of the existing categories, along with research and input from a range of stakeholders in the jazz scene, JazzDanmark’s secretariat and board have decided to introduce four new categories for DMA Jazz 2024. At the same time, four other categories will be discontinued.

The four new categories for DMA Jazz 2024 are: Musician of the Year, Alternative Jazz Release of the Year, Live Act of the Year, and Live Venue of the Year.

Eva Frost, Director of JazzDanmark, comments on the changes:
“We have a strong desire for Danish Music Awards Jazz to remain a dynamic and evolving award show, and we constantly revise various parameters. This year, it was time to take a closer look at the categories. We believe that the new categories will reflect the many facets of the jazz scene and provide a strong spotlight on the incredibly talented musicians we have in this country.”

The categories for Danish Music Awards Jazz 2024 are as follows:

Main categories – all releases are eligible:

• Jazz Release of the Year (8 nominees)
• Jazz Composer of the Year (8 nominees)
• Musician of the Year (8 nominees)

Special categories – specific criteria apply:

• New Jazz Act of the Year (5 nominees)
• Single of the Year (5 nominees)
• Alternative Jazz Release of the Year (5 nominees)

Additionally, two new live awards will be introduced:

• Live Act of the Year (3 nominees)
• Live Venue of the Year (3 nominees)

All eight winners will receive the iconic DMA bird statuette, and all awards will be presented at the annual DMA Jazz show, hosted by JazzDanmark.

As in previous years, the show will also include the special P8 Jazz Prize – Jazz Advocate of the Year, which is nominated by P8 Jazz listeners and selected by the P8 editorial team.

Nominees and winners in the main and special categories will be selected by a rotating nine-member academy. The two live categories will be assessed by a specially appointed live academy.

New Categories: Musician of the Year, Alternative Jazz Release of the Year, Live Act of the Year, and Live Venue of the Year

Among the main categories, we are introducing Musician of the Year. This award will be given to a musician for an extraordinary performance on a specific release.

On the live front, two new categories are being introduced: Live Act of the Year and Live Venue of the Year. The first is awarded to a musician or band that has made a significant mark through live performances during the year, while the second is given to a venue, concert club, association, organizer, or festival that has made a unique contribution to jazz. Although Danish Music Awards Jazz primarily celebrates releases, we also want to acknowledge that jazz thrives particularly well on live stages.

In the field of special awards, we are adding Alternative Jazz Release of the Year. This category celebrates everything that stands out from the submission pool, is difficult to categorize, and/or breaks with conventional genres as we know them.

As part of the restructuring, JazzDanmark’s secretariat and board have decided to discontinue the following categories: Experimental Release of the Year, Vocal Jazz Release of the Year, Cross-Aesthetic Release of the Year, and JazzDanmark’s Concert Experience Award.

The new category structure was developed based on dialogue with the community. The academy is committed to working with genre diversity across all categories. Danish Music Awards Jazz remains dedicated to representing and celebrating the full spectrum of the jazz scene in all its facets.

Learn more about the categories here.

Children’s Jazz Award Moves to Tivoli

The Children’s Jazz Award will still exist but in a new form as part of the new, grand award show Tivoli Jazz Prize, which is also organized by JazzDanmark in collaboration with Tivoli. The award will now be presented as a grant in collaboration with LMS to a children’s jazz artist. The purpose of the Children’s Jazz Award remains to celebrate musicians who contribute to fostering a lifelong love of music in future generations of musical talents and music enthusiasts. Follow JazzDanmark’s website and newsletter for more information on this.

Submit Your Release

All submitted releases must meet the following criteria:

•  The bandleader or the majority of participants on the release must be Danish, meaning born in or permanently residing in Denmark or having a significant connection to Denmark.
•  The release must have been published between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024.

Submit your release here

Submit Your Release for Single of the Year

Single of the Year honors outstanding individual tracks. The track can be part of an album but must also have been released as a single. Each artist may submit only one track for Single of the Year.

Submit your single here

Submissions are open until July 7, 2024.

Encourage Your Colleagues to Submit

Remember to submit your release and feel free to nudge a colleague or two, so we ensure that all jazz releases published between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024, are considered. Even if you have previously sent your music to JazzDanmark physically or digitally, you must still submit it through the official DMA Jazz system.

If you encounter any issues with submitting your music through the online system, please don’t hesitate to contact Peter von Freiesleben, who will guide you through the submission process.