| Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Outstanding achievements in Hawaiian music |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Hawai'i Academy of Recording Arts |
| First awarded | 1978 |
| Website | nahokuhanohano |
| Television/radio coverage | |
| Network | "K5" (KHNL-DT2) |
The Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards, occasionally called the Nā Hōkū Awards or Hoku Awards, are the premier music awards in Hawaii.[1][2] They are considered to be Hawaii's equivalent of the Grammy Awards.[1][2] "Nā Hōkū Hanohano" means "Stars of Distinction" in Hawaiian – "hōkū" means "star", "nā" makes it plural, and "hanohano" means "glorious, worthy of praises". The awards were founded in 1978 by radio personality Krash Kealoha of KCCN-AM, a radio station which focused on traditional Hawaiian music. He launched the first awards with the support of the owner of the radio station Sydney Grayson, and his fellow DJs Kimo Kahoʻāno and Jacqueline “Skylark” Rossetti.[3]
The award winners are currently selected by the voting members of the non-profit Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts, which was founded in 1982. The awards are presented each May, and the ceremony is televised; KITV was the originating station when it started its telecast. The 38th Annual Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards were held at the Hawaii Convention Center on May 23, 2015. The event was televised live on KFVE-TV in Hawaii and streamed online worldwide on the station's website.[4]
The 42nd annual Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards were held on Saturday, May 25, 2019 at the Hawaii Convention Center.