Cool FM Launches Music Awards to Recognize Nigerian Music Industry Creatives

Cool FM has announced the launch of the Cool FM Music Awards, known as COMA, a new initiative aimed at recognizing artists and creative professionals contributing to Nigeria’s music industry.

The awards will feature 17 categories and the Cool FM Icon Award, recognizing achievements across four areas: music, creative and visual arts, fashion and style, and culture and influence.

Cool FM Chief Executive Officer Serge Noujaim said the awards would celebrate not only performing artists but also the wider creative community behind the production and promotion of Nigerian music.

“Cool FM has spent nearly three decades shaping Nigeria’s music culture,” Noujaim said. “With COMA, we are taking that legacy further — celebrating not just the stars, but the entire creative ecosystem behind their success.”

He said the initiative was intended to recognize the contributions of producers, disc jockeys, directors, photographers, designers, content creators and fans to the industry.

COMA Project Chairman Joseph Adamu said the awards would combine industry expertise, performance data and audience participation to recognize excellence.

“Our ambition is to build a credible awards platform where industry expertise, measurable performance and the voice of the audience come together to celebrate excellence,” Adamu said.

Selection Process

According to Cool FM, nominees will be identified through streaming performance, radio airplay, disc jockey rotation, social media engagement and editorial assessment.

The selection process will cover eligible works released between Dec. 1, 2025, and Oct. 31, 2026. The organizers said there would be no entry forms or submission fees.

A panel of industry professionals will determine the final nominees, while winners will be selected through a weighted combination of judges’ assessments, public digital voting and audience participation on Cool FM.

The organizers said the weighting assigned to each category would be published before voting begins.

The judging panel is scheduled to be announced on Oct. 31, with nominees to be unveiled and voting to open in November.

Winners will be announced digitally on Dec. 4, 2026.

Cool FM, which has operated in Nigeria’s music and entertainment industry for nearly three decades, said the awards were part of its efforts to promote emerging talent and recognize the creative professionals shaping Nigerian music and culture.