The rules
Anyone should be able to read how a result was reached. Here are the KEMA 2026 rules, in full.
Tap a question to see the answer.
What qualifies?
Every song, album, EP, video, event and performance released between October 1, 2025 and September 30, 2026. Anything after September 30 rolls into the next edition — no exceptions.
Tout chante, albòm, EP, videyo, evènman ak pèfòmans ki soti ant 1ye Oktòb 2025 ak 30 Septanm 2026. Sa ki soti apre 30 Septanm ale nan pwochen edisyon an — pa gen eksepsyon.
Who picks the five nominees?
The numbers. From October 2025 to September 2026, we count how much the music is streamed on platforms like YouTube Music, Apple Music and Spotify. Those numbers choose the five nominees.
Chif yo. Ant Oktòb 2025 ak Septanm 2026, nou pran an konsiderasyon kantite difizyon mizik yo sou platfòm tankou YouTube Music, Apple Music ak Spotify. Se sou baz done sa yo nou chwazi senk nominasyon yo.
Who sits on the jury?
The Voting Committee, or Jury, has 100 members representing key sectors of the HMI community, including: Musicians — Producers — Radio & TV personalities. KEMA selects members from multiple regions to ensure national and international representation, including: Haiti, Miami, Montreal, Paris, Boston, New York, Port-au-Prince, Port-de-Paix, Cap-Haïtien, Jacmel and Les Cayes.
Komite Vòt la oswa Jiri a gen 100 manm ki reprezante plizyè sektè kle nan kominote HMI la, tankou: Mizisyen — Pwodiktè — Pèsonalite Radyo ak Televizyon. KEMA chwazi manm yo nan plizyè rejyon pou garanti yon reprezantasyon nasyonal ak entènasyonal, tankou: Ayiti, Miami, Monreyal, Pari, Boston, Nouyòk, Pòtoprens, Pòdepè, Okap, Jakmèl ak Okay.
How does the jury vote?
There are 100 judges. In each category every judge ranks the five nominees from first to fifth. First is worth 5 points, second 4, third 3, fourth 2, fifth 1. The nominee with the most points wins the category. A vote counts only if the judge ranks all five nominees (or every nominee, when a category has fewer than five). An unfinished ranking stays saved and the judge can finish it until voting closes, but it does not count until it is finished. Rankings saved before October 3, 2026 count as they are.
Gen 100 jij. Nan chak kategori, chak jij klase 5 nomine yo depi 1ye jiska 5yèm. 1ye plas vo 5 pwen, 2yèm 4 pwen, 3yèm 3 pwen, 4yèm 2 pwen, 5yèm 1 pwen. Nomine ki gen plis pwen an genyen kategori a. Yon vòt konte sèlman si jij la klase tout 5 nomine yo (oswa tout nomine yo, lè kategori a gen mwens pase 5). Yon klasman ki pa fini rete anrejistre, e jij la ka fini l jiska vòt la fèmen, men li pa konte toutotan li pa fini. Klasman ki te anrejistre anvan 3 Oktòb 2026 konte jan yo ye.
Why are nominees listed alphabetically?
Because the order must say nothing. On every image, every list and every ballot the five nominees appear in alphabetical order, so nobody can read a ranking that does not exist yet.
Paske òd la pa dwe di anyen. Sou chak imaj, chak lis ak chak bilten vòt, 5 nomine yo parèt nan òd alfabetik. Konsa pèsonn pa ka li yon klasman ki poko egziste.
How do Best Song and Best Album work?
The jury nominates nothing in these two categories. For Best Song it picks its top five from every song already nominated across Konpa, Rap, Variété, Gospel and Collaboration. For Best Album the pool is Konpa, Rap, Variété and Gospel.
Jiri a pa nomine anyen nan de kategori sa yo. Pou Best Song, jiri a chwazi 5 pi bon yo pami tout chante ki deja nomine nan Konpa, Rap, Variété, Gospel ak Kolaborasyon. Pou Best Album, pisin nan se Konpa, Rap, Variété ak Gospel.
What is published after a winner?
That category's voting ledger: how many judges voted, how many points each nominee earned, how many first-place votes. Each judge's individual vote is revealed after that category's winner is announced — not before.
Rejis vòt kategori a: konbyen jij ki te vote, konbyen pwen chak nomine fè, konbyen premye plas. Vòt chak jij parèt apre nou fin anonse gayan kategori a — pa anvan.
Can a judge vote in a category they are nominated in?
No. A judge with a direct interest in a category — as artist, writer, producer or label — does not vote in it. Their vote is not counted, and the ledger shows how many judges actually voted.
Non. Yon jij ki gen yon enterè dirèk nan yon kategori — kòm atis, otè, pwodiktè oswa konpayi disk — pa vote nan kategori sa a. Vòt li pa konte, e rejis la montre konbyen jij ki te vote toutbon.
How are results announced?
Nominees come out category by category between December 1 and 24, 2026. Winners run from January 3 to 19, 2027, each with its voting ledger. For now everything happens on the social pages and on this site.
Nomine yo soti kategori pa kategori, ant 1ye ak 24 Desanm 2026. Gayan yo soti ant 3 ak 19 Janvye 2027, chak youn ak rejis vòt li. Pou kounye a tout bagay fèt sou rezo sosyal yo ak sou sit sa a.
What is FanVote?
FanVote is the public vote for the Fan Favorite award. From December 1 to 25, 2026, fans vote for their favourite artist among the nominees of the Artiste de l'année categories (Production and Stage Performance). The fans decide it, not the jury.
FanVote se vòt piblik la pou prim Chwa Fanatik Yo. Ant 1ye ak 25 Desanm 2026, fanatik yo vote pou atis yo pi renmen an pami nomine kategori Artiste de l'année yo (Production ak Stage Performance). Se fanatik yo ki deside l, pa jiri a.
Rules last updated: October 14, 2026
Changes to the rules, newest first. Dates are Haiti time.
-
The 2026 rules are frozen. Every criteria set is confirmed and the "awaiting KEMA sign-off" marker is removed: Album, EP, Artist, Author/Composer, Producer and Video (19 categories). No other change will be made to the rules unless it appears here, with its date.
Règ 2026 yo fiks. Tout kritè yo konfime, e mak «ap tann konfimasyon KEMA» a retire: Albòm, EP, Atis, Otè/Konpozitè, Pwodiktè ak Videyo (19 kategori). Okenn lòt chanjman p ap fèt nan règ yo si li pa parèt isit la, ak dat li.
All dates and times are Haiti time (Port-au-Prince), including the November clock change. Jury voting closes at midnight between November 10 and 11, Haiti time. Nominees and winners go up at 9 AM, Haiti time.
Tout dat ak lè yo se lè Ayiti (Port-au-Prince), ak chanjman lè a nan mwa Novanm. Vòt jiri a fèmen a minwi, ant 10 ak 11 Novanm, lè Ayiti. Nomine yo ak gayan yo parèt a 9è nan maten, lè Ayiti.
A rule already in force is now written in "How does the jury vote?": in each category, a vote counts only if the judge ranks all five nominees (or every nominee, when there are fewer than five). An unfinished ranking stays saved but does not count until it is finished. The ballot has required this since October 3; rankings saved before October 3, 2026 count as they are.
Yon règ ki te deja aplike kounye a ekri nan «Kijan jiri a vote?»: nan chak kategori, yon vòt konte sèlman si jij la klase tout 5 nomine yo (oswa tout nomine yo, lè gen mwens pase 5). Yon klasman ki pa fini rete anrejistre men li pa konte toutotan li pa fini. Bilten vòt la mande sa depi 3 Oktòb; klasman ki te anrejistre anvan 3 Oktòb 2026 konte jan yo ye.
-
How nominees are chosen: the streaming numbers on platforms like YouTube Music, Apple Music and Spotify, from October 2025 to September 2026. Scoring is unchanged: the nominee with the most points wins the category.
Kijan nomine yo chwazi: chif difizyon mizik yo sou platfòm tankou YouTube Music, Apple Music ak Spotify, ant Oktòb 2025 ak Septanm 2026. Fason pwen yo konte pa chanje: nomine ki gen plis pwen an genyen kategori a.
Nominees and winners go up one category a day, at 9 AM (Haiti time).
Nomine yo ak gayan yo parèt yon kategori pa jou, a 9è nan maten (lè Ayiti).
-
Jury voting opens October 1 (before: October 10).
Vòt jiri a louvri 1ye Oktòb (avan: 10 Oktòb).
-
The final list of 36 categories, with their final names. Best Song and Best Album are chosen from the nominees already in the genre categories.
Lis final 36 kategori yo, ak non final yo. Best Song ak Best Album chwazi pami nomine ki deja nan kategori jan mizik yo.
Fan Favorite (FanVote): Compas, Rap, Variété and Gospel artists (production), and Compas, Rap and Variété (stage performance).
Chwa Fanatik Yo (FanVote): atis Compas, Rap, Variété ak Gospel (pwodiksyon), ak Compas, Rap ak Variété (sou sèn).
-
Event categories by country (Haiti, USA, Canada, France and the Antilles), stage performance by genre, and video directors.
Kategori evènman yo pa peyi (Ayiti, USA, Kanada, Lafrans ak Antiy yo), pèfòmans sou sèn pa jan mizik, ak direktè videyo yo.
New award: Fan Favorite, a public vote separate from the jury's.
Nouvo prim: Chwa Fanatik Yo, yon vòt piblik apa vòt jiri a.
-
Final day of counting: November 10. Judges' ballots are published with their names.
Dènye jou pou chif yo konte: 10 Novanm. Bilten jij yo pibliye ak non yo.
-
The KEMA 2026 rules are first published.
Premye piblikasyon règ KEMA 2026 yo.