The Blues Music Awards are presented by the Blues Foundation, an organization to promote the blues music. The Blues Foundation started the awards in 1980 under the name W. C. Handy Awards. In 2006 they were renamed Blues Music Awards. The Blues Music Award is one of the highest honors a blues musician can get in the USA.

Like the Grammys the Blues Music Award is given in different categories. The nominees are chosen by a group of people who are connected with Blues music.

Blues Music Award 2009

Acoustic Album of the Year 
Eden Brent - Mississippi Number One

Acoustic Artist of the Year 
Eden Brent

Album of the Year 
Buddy Guy - Skin Deep

B.B. King Entertainer of the Year 
Janiva Magness

Band of the Year 
Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials

Best New Artist Debut 
Cedric Burnside & Lightnin' Malcolm - 2 Man Wrecking Crew

Contemporary Blues Album of the Year 
Buddy Guy - Skin Deep

Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year 
Janiva Magness

Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year 
Buddy Guy

DVD 
Broke & Hungry Records, Cathead Blues & Mudpuppy Recordings - M For Mississippi: A Road Trip Through The Birthplace of the Blues

Historical Album of the Year
Eagle Records - Albert Collins Live At Montreux 1992

Instrumentalist-Bass
Mookie Brill

Instrumentalist-Drums
Willie "Big Eyes" Smith

Instrumentalist-Guitar
Sonny Landreth

Instrumentalist-Harmonica
Billy Gibson

Instrumentalist-Horn
Deanna Bogart

Instrumentalist-Other
Otis Taylor - Banjo

Pinetop Perkins Piano Player
Marcia Ball

Rock Blues Album of the Year
Jeff Healey - Mess of Blues

Song of the Year
Kenny Neal - Let Life Flow (Kenny Neal)

Soul Blues Album of the Year
Irma Thomas - Simply Grand

Soul Blues Female Artist of the Year
Etta James

Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year
Bobby Rush

Traditional Blues Album of the Year
B. B. King - One Kind Favor

Traditional Blues Female Artist of the Year
Koko Taylor

Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year
B.B. King

Blues Music Award 2010

Acoustic Album of the Year
 David Maxwell & Louisiana Red, You Got to Move

Acoustic Artist of the Year
 Louisiana Red

Album of the Year
 Joe Louis Walker, Between a Rock and the Blues

B.B. King Entertainer of the Year
 Tommy Castro

Band of the Year
 Tommy Castro Band

Best New Artist Debut
 Monkey Junk, Tiger in your Tank

Contemporary Blues Album of the Year
 Tommy Castro, Hard Believer

Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year
 Ruthie Foster

Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year
 Tommy Castro

DVD
 Delmark Records, It Ain't Over! Delmark Celebrates 55 Years of Blues, Live at Buddy Guy's Legends

Historical Album of the Year
 Chess, Authorized Bootleg (Muddy Waters)

Instrumentalist-Bass
 Bob Stroger

Instrumentalist-Drums
 Cedric Burnside

Instrumentalist-Guitar
 Derek Trucks

Instrumentalist-Harmonica
 Jason Ricci

Instrumentalist-Horn
 Deanna Bogart

Instrumentalist-Other
 Buckwheat Zydeco (Akkordeon)

Pinetop Perkins Piano Player
 Eden Brent

Rock Blues Album of the Year
 Derek Trucks Band, Already Free

Song of the Year
 Cyril Neville & Mike Zito, 'Pearl River' (Pearl River—Mike Zito)

Soul Blues Album of the Year
 Johnny Rawls, Ace Of Spades

Soul Blues Female Artist of the Year
 Irma Thomas

Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year
 Curtis Salgado

Traditional Blues Album of the Year
 Super Chikan, Chikadelic

Traditional Blues Female Artist of the Year
 Debbie Davies

Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year
 Duke Robillard

Blues Music Awards 2011

Acoustic Album of the Year
 Last Train to Bluesville, The Nighthawks

Acoustic Artist of the Year
 John Hammond

Album of the Year
 Living Proof, Buddy Guy

B.B King Entertainer of the Year
 Buddy Guy

Band of the Year
 The Derek Trucks Band

Best New Artist Debut
 Matt Hill, On the Floor

Contemporary Blues Album of the Year
 Living Proof, Buddy Guy

Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year
 Robin Rogers

Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year
 Buddy Guy

DVD
 Ruf, Songs From The Road, Luther Allison

Historical Album of the Year
 Delta Groove, Harmonica Blues, Bob Corritore & Friends (Koko, Pinetop, Nappy Brown, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, et al.)

Instrumentalist-Bass
 Bob Stroger

Instrumentalist-Drums
 Cedric Burnside

Instrumentalist-Guitar
 Derek Trucks

Instrumentalist-Harmonica
 Charlie Musselwhite

Instrumentalist-Horn
 Eddie Shaw

Instrumentalist-Other
 Sonny Rhodes, Lap Steel Guitar

Koko Taylor Award (Traditional Blues Female)
 Ruthie Foster

Pinetop Perkins Piano Player
 Dr. John

Rock Blues Album of the Year
 Live! In Chicago, Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band featuring Hubert Sumlin, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, Bryan Lee and Buddy Flett

Song of the Year
 Living Proof, Tom Hambridge/Buddy Guy, Living Proof, Buddy Guy

Soul Blues Album of the Year
 Nothing's Impossible, Solomon Burke

Soul Blues Female Artist of the Year
 Irma Thomas

Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year
 Solomon Burke

Traditional Blues Album of the Year
 Joined At the Hip, Pinetop Perkins & Willie 'Big Eyes' Smith

Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year
 Charlie Musselwhite

Other websites
 Blues Music Awards Homepage 
 List of past winners of the Blues Music Awards 

Music awards
Blues music