The Henry Armstrong Award applications are open from March 28 to May 5, 2023. (Photo: Henry Armstrong Award)

By Sarah Jones

Henry Armstrong Award to support Indigenous musical artists in Canada

Mar 28, 2023 | 3:22 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – The second annual Henry Armstrong Award is accepting applications to support diverse talent in the Canadian Indigenous music community.

The award provides one Indigenous artist with a $10,000 bursary along with a tailored 12-month mentorship program that helps provide unique opportunities for growth and development.

MDM Recording Inc. President and Founder, Mike Denney expressed his desire to start the award after the initial discovery of the 215 Indigenous children in the Kamloops Residential School unmarked graves.

“I made a decision at that point to do something to help going forward and understand that there wasn’t anything that I could do going backwards,” explained Denney. “I wanted to be a part of giving Indigenous artists in Canada an opportunity to get their music heard and give them an education platform as well too, so they could understand the music business and understand what they need to do to get their music out there.”

In 2022, Alberta’s Kyle McKearney was the first recipient of the Henry Armstrong Award.

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McKearney has since been partnered with agents and record companies in the U.K. and Australia, received courses on branding and marketing on social media, and met with industry-leading professionals to expand his reach as an artist.

While Denney and his team received close to 77 applications during the launch of the Henry Armstrong Award, they hope to see closer to 125 applications in 2023.

“I know that there’s amazing music out there in the Indigenous community, but I don’t know if they necessarily know how to get their music out there properly,” said Denney. “If I can help one artist per year that’s amazing, but I’m also hopeful that when we grow this, we can really start getting more Indigenous music out there.”

Denney went on to say that they’re in the process of expanding operations for the Henry Armstrong Award by moving to a not-for-profit platform that would allow for more grants and more opportunities for donations.

“My goal within three to five years is to have the cash prize go from $10,000 to $100,000, and then at that point, what we’d like to do is help 10 Indigenous artists per year.”

He continued, “Like anything, it takes some time to grow and for people to understand that it is out there, but we’re doing the best that we can to make sure that as many Indigenous artists know about it as possible.”

The Henry Armstrong Award applications are open from March 28 to May 5, 2023, and the application period will be followed by a juried selection process amongst Canadian music industry professionals.

The winner for the annual award will be announced on National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21.

To find more information and eligibility requirements, visit the Henry Armstrong Award website.

Read more at Lethbridge News Now.