[7][8] The festival promotes artistic excellence, community contributions, and cultural enrichment in Antigua and Barbuda and the region by extension.
[9][10][11] Initially focused on gospel music,[12][13][14][15] the ABGMA was founded on 2014 by Apostle Stanshaw Cornelius.
[20][21][22][23] The festival employs an online voting system in more than 80 categories.
[24][25][26][27][23] In addition to the public voting, there is a committee that evaluates nominees based on several criteria, including popularity, relevance to current trends, and the quality of information presented.
[21][23] The founders established also the ABGMA Academy,[28] which invites professionals from diverse creative fields to become Voting Members, actively participating in the nomination process.