# Canadian Folk Music Award for Indigenous Songwriter of the Year

The Canadian Folk Music Award for Indigenous Songwriter of the Year is a Canadian award, presented as part of the Canadian Folk Music Awards to honour the year's best songwriting by First Nations and Inuit artists. Unlike many songwriting awards, the nomination is given in consideration of all of the songwriting on a whole album rather than singling out individual songs. Awards are also presented for English Songwriter of the Year and French Songwriter of the Year.
The award was formerly presented as Aboriginal Songwriter of the Year, and was renamed from aboriginal to indigenous in 2018.

## 2000s

| Year | Nominee | Album |
| 2005 1st Canadian Folk Music Awards |
| No award presented |||
| 2006 2nd Canadian Folk Music Awards |
| 2006 2nd Canadian Folk Music Awards | Wayne Lavallee | Green Dress |
| 2006 2nd Canadian Folk Music Awards | Digging Roots | seeds |
| 2006 2nd Canadian Folk Music Awards | Don Freed | The Valley of Green and Blue |
| 2006 2nd Canadian Folk Music Awards | Art Napoleon | Miyoskamin |
| 2006 2nd Canadian Folk Music Awards | Laura Vinson | It Reminds Me |
| 2007 3rd Canadian Folk Music Awards |
| 2007 3rd Canadian Folk Music Awards | Sandy Scofield | Nikawiy Askiy |
| 2007 3rd Canadian Folk Music Awards | Leela Gilday | Sedzé |
| 2007 3rd Canadian Folk Music Awards | Ry Moran | Groundwater |
| 2007 3rd Canadian Folk Music Awards | Karen Donaldson Shepherd (The Crow Girls) | Where the Green Grass Grows |
| 2007 3rd Canadian Folk Music Awards | Laura Vinson | Mossbag Lullaby |
| 2008 4th Canadian Folk Music Awards |
| No award presented |||
| 2009 5th Canadian Folk Music Awards |
| 2009 5th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Don Amero | Deepening |
| 2009 5th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Vince Fontaine, Jay Bodner, Chris Burke-Gaffney (Eagle & Hawk) | Sirensong |
| 2009 5th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Violet Naytowhow | Wind of the North |
| 2009 5th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Buffy Sainte-Marie | Running for the Drum |
| 2009 5th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Tanya Tagaq | Auk/Blood |

## 2010s

| Year | Nominee | Album |
| 2010 6th Canadian Folk Music Awards |
| 2010 6th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Asani | Listen |
| 2010 6th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Eagle and Hawk | The Great Unknown |
| 2010 6th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Wayne Lavallee | Trail of Tears |
| 2010 6th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Brenda MacIntyre | Medicine Song |
| 2010 6th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Tom Racine | Three Mile Junction |
| 2011 7th Canadian Folk Music Awards |
| 2011 7th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Vince Fontaine | Songs for Turtle Island |
| 2011 7th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Don Amero | The Long Way Home |
| 2011 7th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Robert Davidson, Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson | New Journeys |
| 2011 7th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Janet Panic | Samples |
| 2011 7th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Kristi Lane Sinclair | I Love You |
| 2012 8th Canadian Folk Music Awards |
| No award presented |||
| 2013 9th Canadian Folk Music Awards |
| 2013 9th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Nancy Mike (The Jerry Cans) | Nunavuttitut |
| 2013 9th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Don Amero | Heart on My Sleeve |
| 2013 9th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Vince Fontaine (Indian City) | Supernation |
| 2013 9th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Diem Lafortune | Beauty and Hard Times |
| 2013 9th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Kristi Lane Sinclair | The Sea Alone |
| 2014 10th Canadian Folk Music Awards |
| 2014 10th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Amanda Rheaume, John MacDonald | Keep a Fire |
| 2014 10th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Buffy & Larry | Surrounded |
| 2014 10th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Vince Fontaine (Indian City) | Colors |
| 2014 10th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Jasmine Netsena | Take You With Me |
| 2014 10th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Tanya Tagaq | Animism |
| 2015 11th Canadian Folk Music Awards |
| 2015 11th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Raven Kanatakta and ShoShona Kish (Digging Roots) | For the Light |
| 2015 11th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Miranda Currie | Up in the Air |
| 2015 11th Canadian Folk Music Awards | The Jerry Cans | Aakuluk |
| 2015 11th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Buffy Sainte-Marie | Power in the Blood |
| 2015 11th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Laura Vinson and Free Spirit | Warrior |
| 2016 12th Canadian Folk Music Awards |
| 2016 12th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Twin Flames | Jaaji and Chelsey June |
| 2016 12th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Digawolf | Great Northern Man |
| 2016 12th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Nadia Gaudet and Jason Burnstick | Dream Big, Little One / Fais de beaux rêves, petit ange |
| 2016 12th Canadian Folk Music Awards | William Prince | Earthly Days |
| 2016 12th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Amanda Rheaume | Holding Patterns |
| 2017 13th Canadian Folk Music Awards |
| 2017 13th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Twin Flames | Signal Fire |
| 2017 13th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Desiree Dorion | Tough Street |
| 2017 13th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Lisa Muswagon | Buffalo and Rabbits |
| 2017 13th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Cindy Paul | The Flight |
| 2017 13th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Julian Taylor, Kinnie Starr, John Parente, Bill Bell | Desert Star |
| 2018 14th Canadian Folk Music Awards |
| 2018 14th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Shauit | Apu peikussiak$^u$ |
| 2018 14th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Tiffany Ayalik, Grey Gritt (Quantum Tangle) | Shelter as we go... |
| 2018 14th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Buffy Sainte-Marie | Medicine Songs |
| 2018 14th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Dennis Shorty | Gucho Hin |
| 2018 14th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Sandra Sutter | Cluster Stars |

## 2020s

| Year | Nominee | Album |
| 2020 15th Canadian Folk Music Awards |
| 2020 15th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Diyet van Lieshout | Diyet & the Love Soldiers |
| 2020 15th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Sugar Plum Croxen, Shelley Hamilton, George Elliott Clarke (The Afro-Métis Nation) | Constitution |
| 2020 15th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Jenelle Duval, Danielle Benoit, Stacey Howse (Eastern Owl) | Qama’si |
| 2020 15th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Joshua Haulli | Aqqut |
| 2020 15th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Mike Paul | Origine |
| 2021 16th Canadian Folk Music Awards |
| 2021 16th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Leela Gilday | North Star Calling |
| 2021 16th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Jason and Nadia Burnstick | Kîyânaw |
| 2021 16th Canadian Folk Music Awards | A. W. Cardinal | Bare Knuckles & Brawn |
| 2021 16th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Riit | ataataga |
| 2021 16th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Crystal Shawanda | Church House Blues |
| 2022 17th Canadian Folk Music Awards |
| 2022 17th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Chelsey June & Jaaji | Omen |
| 2022 17th Canadian Folk Music Awards | David Laronde | I Know I Can Fly |
| 2022 17th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Laura Niquay | Waska Matisiwin |
| 2022 17th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Phyllis Sinclair | Ghost Bones |
| 2022 17th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Morgan Toney | First Flight |
| 2023 18th Canadian Folk Music Awards |
| 2023 18th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Amanda Rheaume | The Spaces in Between |
| 2023 18th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Berk Jodoin | Half Breed |
| 2023 18th Canadian Folk Music Awards | ShoShona Kish, Raven Kanatakta Polson-Lahache | Zhawenim |
| 2023 18th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Kyle McKearney | Down-Home |
| 2023 18th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Adrian Sutherland | When the Magic Hits |
| 2024 19th Canadian Folk Music Awards |
| 2024 19th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Kaeley Jade Wiebe | Turpentine |
| 2024 19th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Cynthia Hamar | Joint & Marrow |
| 2024 19th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Kyle McKearney | A Traveler's Lament |
| 2024 19th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Qattuu | Midnight Sun |
| 2024 19th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Geneviève Toupin | Maison vent |
| 2025 20th Canadian Folk Music Awards |
| 2025 20th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Alan Syliboy and the Thundermakers | Marks on the Ground |
| 2025 20th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Jason Burnstick, Nadia Burnstick | Made of Sin |
| 2025 20th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Celeigh Cardinal | Boundless Possibilities |
| 2025 20th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Gabrielle Fontaine (Indian City) | Tomorrow |
| 2025 20th Canadian Folk Music Awards | Mimi O'Bonsawin | Live in Concert |