Cool FM’s COMA Explained: How Nigerian Music’s New Awards Will Choose Their Winners

Format: Music-industry news explainer. Spoiler status: Not applicable.

When a song takes off, the singer is usually the easiest person to recognise. The people shaping its sound, visuals and public identity can be much less visible.

Cool FM’s newly announced awards programme puts that wider group into the conversation. Launched on October 30, 2026, the Cool FM Music Awards, known as COMA, will feature 17 categories plus the Cool FM Icon Award.

The organiser describes four areas of recognition: Music; Creative & Visuals; Fashion & Style; and Culture & Influence. Its announcement includes producers, DJs, directors, photographers, designers and content creators among the professionals the initiative aims to recognise.

That scope creates an interesting possibility: an awards discussion that gives the making and presentation of music more attention. The eventual category definitions and nominee lists will show how that ambition works in practice.

For artists and other creatives, the first practical detail is the entry process. Cool FM says there will be no entry forms or submission fees. The eligibility window covers work released from December 1, 2025, to October 31, 2026.

The organiser plans to identify contenders using streaming performance, radio airplay, DJ rotation, social engagement and editorial assessment. An industry judging panel will then determine the final nominees.

Eligibility and nomination are separate stages. Releasing work within the stated period makes it relevant to the assessment window; it does not guarantee a place on the shortlist.

Choosing winners will involve another stage. According to the published process, results will combine judges’ assessments, public digital voting and participation through Cool FM’s on-air audience. The weight assigned to each part will vary by category, with those proportions due to be published before voting opens.

For fans, those percentages will be worth reading. They determine how much influence audience participation has alongside the judges’ decisions. The announcement does not establish a system in which the biggest streaming total or the largest fan campaign automatically wins.

The announced timetable is:

Status checked October 31: Flicklevel verified the launch announcement but could not confirm a published panel list or live voting page. The timetable above describes the organiser’s announced plans.

The most useful next development will be the publication of nominees and voting rules. For listeners, that will explain how to participate. For creators, it will show which kinds of work the awards are recognising. For everyone assessing a new awards programme, clear rules and visible decision-making will matter as much as the names on the eventual winners’ list.

Sources: Cool FM’s official COMA announcement · Nigeria Info’s report on the selection process