Awit Awards

The Awit Awards is the longest-running music awards ceremony in the Philippines, presented annually by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry (PARI) to recognize outstanding achievements in Original Pilipino Music (OPM). The 38th edition was held on November 16, 2025 at the Meralco Theater in Pasig City, co-produced with MQuest Ventures' Vibe platform and broadcast on TV5. The Awit Awards is best suited for Filipino recording artists (both label-signed and independent) who released music commercially within the eligibility period, as it is one of the few Philippine music awards with a structured nomination and judging process across multiple genres.

Submission and Application Details

PARI accepts submissions from record labels and independent artists for music commercially released within the eligibility period (January 1 to December 31 of the prior year). For the 38th edition, nominees were announced on October 3, 2025.

Submissions are organized into several groupings: Grand Awards (Album, Record, and Song of the Year), Performance Awards, Genre Recording Awards (covering rock, rap, jazz, ballad, pop, R&B, electronic, alternative, world music, and more), Special Recording Awards (OST, regional, Christmas, novelty, inspirational), and Technical Achievement Awards (engineering, arrangement, remix, cover art, music video).

The People's Voice categories run parallel to the judged categories, allowing fans to vote via the Vibe platform. In 2025, these included Favorite Solo Artist, Favorite Group Artist, Breakthrough Artist, and Favorite Collaboration.

Key Benefits and Why It Matters

• OPM industry recognition: Winning an Awit Award is one of the highest forms of peer recognition in the Philippine music industry. The Dangal ng Musikang Pilipino award (given to Ely Buendia in 2025) and the Lifetime Achievement Award (given to Vic del Rosario Jr. in 2025) carry significant cultural weight.
• Genre diversity: With over 20 genre-specific recording categories, artists working in niche genres (jazz, world music, traditional folk) have realistic chances of recognition alongside mainstream pop and hip-hop acts.
• Fan voting component: The People's Voice categories give artists with strong fanbases a direct path to winning, independent of judge preferences. SB19 and BINI both leveraged their fanbases for People's Voice wins in 2025.
• Broadcast exposure: The 2025 ceremony was broadcast on TV5 and integrated a digital-first approach through the Vibe platform, giving winners both traditional TV and streaming visibility.

Potential Drawbacks and Things to Consider

• Eligibility window: The eligibility period covers the prior calendar year, meaning music released in late 2025 will not be considered until the 39th edition in 2026. Artists with release timing near the cutoff should plan accordingly.
• PARI membership advantage: While independent artists can submit, the process is easier for artists signed to PARI-member labels. Self-released artists may need to provide additional documentation to verify commercial release status.
• Limited international reach: The Awit Awards are primarily recognized within the Philippines. Filipino artists seeking international exposure should not rely solely on this award for career advancement.
• Ceremony production costs: The 2025 edition was co-produced with MQuest Ventures, and the ceremony's production quality depends on broadcast partnerships that can vary year to year.

Award Categories Explained

The Awit Awards present over 20 categories each year, organized into several groupings:

• Album of the Year: The top album prize, judged on overall artistic quality, commercial performance, and production excellence.
• Record of the Year: Awards the best recorded single, evaluating the performance, production, and engineering of the track.
• Song of the Year: Honors the best original composition, judged on songwriting craft and musical merit. Awarded to the songwriter(s).
• Best Performance by a Solo Artist: Recognizes the best vocal or instrumental performance by a solo recording artist.
• Best Performance by a Group: Recognizes the best vocal or instrumental performance by a group or band.
• Best Collaboration: Awards the best recorded collaboration between two or more artists.
• Best Pop Recording: Genre category for pop recordings.
• Best Rock/Metal Recording: Genre category for rock and metal recordings.
• Best Rap/Hip-Hop Recording: Genre category for rap and hip-hop recordings.
• Best R&B Recording: Genre category for R&B recordings.
• Best Dance/Electronic Recording: Genre category for dance and electronic music recordings.
• Best Alternative Recording: Genre category for alternative music recordings.
• Best Ballad Recording: Genre category for ballad recordings.
• Best Jazz Recording: Genre category for jazz recordings.
• Best World Music Recording: Genre category for world music recordings.
• Best Traditional/Contemporary Folk Recording: Genre category for traditional and folk recordings.
• Best Inspirational Recording: Genre category for inspirational and religious recordings.
• People's Voice Awards: Fan-voted categories (Favorite Solo Artist, Favorite Group, Breakthrough Artist, Favorite Collaboration) decided through the Vibe platform.
• Technical Achievement Awards: Recognize engineering, arrangement, vocal arrangement, cover art, and music video production.
• Dangal ng Musikang Pilipino: A special honor recognizing lifetime contribution to Original Pilipino Music.

Notable Past Winners

The following tables cover the grand award and genre category winners from 2021 through the most recent ceremony in 2025.

Grand Awards:

Genre Categories (2025 winners):

Lola Amour won Record and Song of the Year in 2024 for "Raining in Manila" and returned in 2025 to win Record of the Year again with "Namimiss Ko Na." SB19 has won across multiple categories since 2022, including Best Pop Recording, Best Dance/Electronic Recording, and Best Rap/Hip-Hop Recording.

Video Highlights

Eligibility and Submission Info

• Who qualifies: Filipino recording artists (both label-signed and independent) who have released music commercially within the eligibility period (January 1 to December 31 of the prior year). Both PARI-member label artists and independent artists can submit.
• How entries are submitted: Record labels and independent artists submit entries through PARI. Submission guidelines are published annually on the Awit Awards website.
• Eligibility period: January 1 to December 31 of the prior calendar year. Music released in late 2025 will be considered for the 39th edition in 2026.
• Deadlines: Submission deadlines are typically announced mid-year, with nominees revealed in October. The ceremony takes place in November.
• Fees: PARI does not charge a public submission fee for member labels. Independent artists may need to provide additional documentation to verify commercial release status.
• People's Voice categories: Fan voting runs parallel to the judged categories through the Vibe platform (MQuest Ventures). No fee is required for fan voting.

Similar Awards

• Grammy Awards - The American counterpart for recorded music awards
• Golden Melody Awards - Chinese-language music awards with similar genre categories
• MAMA Awards - Asian music awards covering similar territory
• Asia Artist Awards - Pan-Asian awards recognizing music and performance
• Korean Music Awards - Another Asian music industry awards with critic-based judging

For Filipino artists looking to grow their streaming revenue alongside award recognition, use our Streaming Royalty Calculator to estimate earnings across platforms. Read our guide on 21 ways musicians can earn income for additional revenue strategies, and check our music marketing masterclass for independent artists to build the fanbase needed for People's Voice categories.

The official website is awitawards.com.ph, where submission guidelines and eligibility rules are published annually.