A celebration of Canadian screen composing

The Screen Composers Guild of Canada has launched an annual celebration of composer’s excellence in scoring original music for the screen. Its Canadian Screen Music Awards (CASMA) are open to all Canadian and permanent resident composers with winners chosen by the SCGC’s roster of judges.

CASMA aims to honour these composers for their outstanding work in media and screen-based industries. These accolades are the first to be juried and awarded by fellow screen composers in Canada.

The CASMAs comprise nine awards for screen composing with a tenth special award also presented for distinguished services to the industry. This is dedicated to the person or company that have shown outstanding support for the Canadian screen composer sector.

The 2022 event was held at the historic El Mocambo in Toronto and simultaneously live streamed around the world. It was sponsored by Socan, City of Toronto, Cinesamples, Orchestral Tools, Native Instruments, Core Music Agency, Hard Music Group, The Arts Firm Inc., Musio and Long & McQuade.

Watch the live stream

2022 Winners

Best Original Score for a Television Special

Nominees

• Suad Bushnaq – The Nature of Things: Why We Dance
• Iva Delic, Todor Kobakov & Tika Simone – Faith Heist
• Jim McGrath – Curb your Carbon
• Meiro Stamm & Antonio Naranjo – A Christmas Dance Reunion

Winner

• Steph Copeland – “Lethal Love”

Best Original Score for a Documentary Feature Film

Nominees

• Deanna H. Choi – “Last of the Right Whales”
• Walker Grimshaw – “Dear Audrey”
• Jonathan Kawchuk – “Carbon: The Unauthorized Biography”
• Julien Verschooris – “Coextinction”

Winner

• Todor Kobakov – “A.rtificial I.mmortality”

Best Original Main Title Theme Music (sponsored by Cinesamples)

Nominees

• Lora Bidner & Rob Carli – “Ruby and the Well”
• Peter Chapman – “The Communists Daughter”
• Trevor Morris – “Vikings Valhalla”
• Layal Watfeh – “Ambar 6”

Winner

• Layal Watfeh – “The Journey”

Best Original Score for a Non-Fiction Series or Limited Series

Nominee

• Amanda Cawley – “Ageless Gardens”
• Andrew Gordon Macpherson – “Dark Side of the Ring”
• Christopher Nickel – “Highway Thru Hell”
• Tom Third – “BLK: An Origin Story”

Winner

• Todor Kobakov – “The Unsolved Murder of Beverly Lynn Smith”

Best Original Score for a Short Film (Sponsored by City of Toronto)

Nominees

• Jordan Andrew – “Shadowlands”
• Adrian Ellis – “Old Mother Tongue”
• Walker Grimshaw – “Monkey-Love, Please Hold”
• Randolph Peters & Joshua Maikawa – “Wrought”

Winner

• Phil Strong – “In the Wake of Progress”

Best Original Score for a Narrative Feature Film (Sponsored by Orchestral Tools)

Nominees

• Spencer Creaghan – “Motherly”
• Darren Fung – “Cinema of Sleep”
• Steve London – “The Immaculate Room”
• Nasser Sharaf – “The Alleys”

Winner

• Steph Copeland – The Retreat”

Best Original Score for a Series or Limited Series

Nominees

• Robert Carli – “/Frankie Drake”
• Robert Carli & Peter Chapman – “Wynonna Earp”
• Clinton Shorter – “The Expanse”
• Tom Third – “Coroner”

Winner

• Trevor Morris – Vikings Valhalla”

The SCGC Award for Distinguished Service to the Industry

Awarded by the Screen Composers Guild of Canada Board of Directors

Winners

• The Canadian Film Centre and The Slaight Family Foundation

Raffle Winners 2022

• Abigail Neale won the Cinesamples Everything Bundle valued at $6999 USD / $9100 CAD
• Eric Cadesky won the Orchestral Tools Full Creative Soundpacks Range (14 Libraries in Total) valued at €1000 / $1300 CAD
• Nicholas Schnier won the Native Instruments Sequis & Arkhis Bundle valued at $389 CAD
• Antonio Naranjo won the Native Instruments Lores Pack valued at $259 CAD
• Brian Chan, Phil Strong, Blake Matthew Penner, Robbie Teehan and Michelle Osis each won a Musio one year subscription valued at $149.99 USD / $200 CAD

_{View the CASMA rules here.}