New categories

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This year's Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards (CAMA) will be bigger than ever before. Organizers have announced they have added five new award categories-Best Fiddle Album, Best International Aboriginal/Indigenous Album, Best Inuit Traditional Album, Best Jazz Album and Best Aboriginal Music Radio Program.

At last year's CAMA, winners were honored in 17 categories.

This year's award presentations will be held Nov. 26 in Toronto. For the second straight year the event will be staged at the John Bassett Theatre, located inside the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

This marks the sixth year for the awards show. Last year's event attracted a sellout crowd of 1,300 spectators.

Ron Robert, the executive producer of the show, said it was only natural to head back to the same facility this year.

"That was a great show. All the feedback we've had was so positive. We were really pleased with how things worked out there."

As for the new award categories, Robert said organizers felt there was a demand for them. Adding five awards in one year is a significant deal for the CAMA. "This is a big jump forward," Robert said.

Organizers must receive a minimum of six entries in a category to present an award.

Last year organizers received a record number of nominations-180. Now that new categories have been added, Robert is confident a new record will be set.

In addition to presenting various award winners, the CAMA show is also a highlight on the Aboriginal music scene. Each year several nominees perform on awards night.

"We might extend the show a little bit," Robert said. "It's getting so sophisticated now."