Album of the Year

• Anne Murray - Greatest Hits
• Burton Cummings - Woman Love
• Powder Blues - Uncut
• Prism - Young and Restless
• Rush - Permanent Waves Lyrics

Best Album Graphics

• Downchild Blues Band - We Deliver
• Doug & The Slugs - Cognac and Bologna
• Toronto - Lookin' for Trouble
• Loverboy - Loverboy Lyrics
• Straight Lines - Straight Lines

Best Children's Album

• Sharon, Lois & Bram - Singing 'n Swinging
• Fred Penner - The Cat Came Back
• Jim & Rosalie - Listen To Me
• The Free Rose Corporation - You've Got To Be A Kid To Get In
• The Travellers - Merry-Go-Round

Best Classical Album of the Year

• Chopin Ballads - Arthur Ozolins - Stravinsky
• Canadian Brass - The Village Band
• Francois Dompierre - Francois Dompierre
• Glenn Gould - Bach Toccatas, Vol. 2
• The Orford String Quartet - The Orford String Quartet

Best Jazz Album

• Rob MCConnell & The Boss Brass - Present Perfect
• Bob Stroup - Entre Amis
• Bob Stroup - Live In Jazz City
• Circles - Don Thompson - Don Thompson
• Glen Hall - The Book of the Heart
• Tommy Ambrose & Doug Riley - Tommy Ambrose At Last

Canadian Music Hall of Fame

• Joni Mitchell Lyrics

Composer of the Year

• Pat Benatar - Hit Me With Your Best Shot Lyrics
• Martha & The Muffins - Echo Beach
• Burton Cummings - Fine State of Affairs
• Doug & The Slugs - Too Bad
• Prism - Young & Restless

Country Female Vocalist of the Year

• Anne Murray Lyrics
• Laura Vinson
• Iris Larratt
• Marie Bottrell
• Carroll Baker

Country Group or Duo of the Year

• The Good Brothers
• R. Harlan Smith & Chris Nielsen
• 6 Cylinder
• Carlton Showband
• Family Brown

Country Male Vocalist of the Year

• Eddie Eastman
• Hank Snow Lyrics
• Dallas Harms
• Wilf Carter
• Wayne Rostad

Female Vocalist of the Year

• Anne Murray Lyrics
• Carroll Baker
• Susan Jacks
• Joni Mitchell Lyrics
• Claudja Barry

Folk Artist of the Year

• Bruce Cockburn Lyrics
• The Rovers
• Murray McLauchlan
• Valdy
• Gordon Lightfoot Lyrics

Group of the Year

• Prism
• Max Webster Lyrics
• Rush Lyrics
• April Wine Lyrics
• Harlequin Lyrics

Instrumental Artist(s) of the Year

• Frank Mills
• Claire Lawrence
• Liona Boyd
• Hagood Hardy
• Moe Koffman

International Album of the Year

• Pink Floyd - The Wall Lyrics
• Billy Joel - Glass Houses
• Bob Seger - Against The Wind Lyrics
• Kenny Rogers - Greatest Hits Lyrics
• Queen - The Game Lyrics

International Single of the Year

• Pink Floyd - Another Brick in The Wall Lyrics
• Billy Joel - It's Still Rock And Roll To Me Lyrics
• Lipps, Inc. - Funkytown Lyrics
• Queen - Another One Bites The Dust Lyrics
• Sugar Hill - Rapper's Delight

Male Vocalist of the Year

• Bruce Cockburn Lyrics
• Burton Cummings
• Gordon Lightfoot Lyrics
• Gino Vannelli Lyrics
• Neil Young Lyrics

Most Promising Female Vocalist of the Year

• Carole Pope
• Michaele Jordana
• Dianne Heatherington
• Shari Ulrich
• Laura Vinson

Most Promising Group of the Year

• Powder Blues
• Toronto
• Loverboy Lyrics
• Red Rider Lyrics
• Martha & The Muffins

Most Promising Male Vocalist of the Year

• Graham Shaw
• Bryan Adams Lyrics
• Long John Baldry
• B.B. Gabor
• Wayne Rostad

Producer of the Year

• Bruce Cockburn / Carole Pope and Rough Trade - Tokyo / High School Confidential
• Max Webster / Straight Lines - Battle Scar / Heads Are Gonna Roll
• Fist - Hot Spikes, What Am I To Do
• Shari Ulrich - Long Nights, Bad, Bad Girl
• Prism - Young & Restless, Satellite

Recording Engineer of the Year

• Instructions - Factory, We're OK
• Max Webster - Battlescar Lyrics
• B.B. Gabor - Metropolitan Life
• Zero One - The Invisible Man, Oh No
• Bruce Cockburn; High School Confidential Carole Pope and Rough Trade - What About the Bond

Single of the Year

• Anne Murray - Could I Have This Dance Lyrics
• Martha & The Muffins - Echo Beach
• Burton Cummings - Fine State of Affairs
• Doug & The Slugs - Too Bad
• The Rovers - Wasn't That A Party