Armenian Music Awards was an annual music awards ceremony first held at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, California on October 7, 1998. It was created and produced for the first eight years by Peter Bahlawanian who wanted to support Armenian artists and make Armenian culture.
The awards consist of several categories varying from 20 to 30 from year to year. Numerous artists perform live throughout the evening.
The nominees and winners are decided by a panel of judges who listen to CDs or MP3s online compilations prior to the night of events. There are, however, some categories that are voted by the general public. Votes are cast through online voting locations. SMS voting was also made available for the same in 2007. The categories that are voted by public are Best Song of The Year, Best Duet Song of The Year, and Best Male & Female Artist of The Year.
The tenth annual Armenian Music Awards was at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on December 13, 2009.
October 2018 marked the 20th anniversary of the AMAs and to celebrate the event, they brought together various participants throughout the years for a TV reunion.