The first ceremony was held on February 23, 1970 to honour the musical accomplishments of performers for the year 1969, and the trophy resembled a metronome.

In 1964 RPM magazine began polling its readers to determine which artists and groups they considered the best in Canada.

Record label owner Stan Klees met with RPM founder Walt Grealis to plan a formal music industry awards ceremony.

This organisation assumed full management and operation of the Juno Awards from 1977 and became the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS).

[6] In 1996 the four-CD, 77-song box set Oh What a Feeling: A Vital Collection of Canadian Music and a book were released to mark the 25th anniversary of the Juno Awards.

The box set featured popular songs by Canadian artists from the 1960s to 1990s sold over one million copies and was certified diamond.

[14] CARAS transferred the broadcast rights to the Juno Awards from CBC to CTV for the 2002 ceremonies.

2006 marked the first time the Junos were broadcast internationally through MTV2 in the United States and several affiliated MTV channels in other nations.

[17] On 18 April 2017, CARAS president Allan Reid announced that the ceremonies would return to CBC for the first time since 2002, for at least the next six years.

He said he wanted to collaborate with the CBC to bolster a year-round presence for the Juno Awards as a platform for promoting Canadian music.

[5][21] When CBC televised the ceremonies in 1975, the award was constructed from acrylic instead of wood while retaining a metronome shape.

These included a reduction in size for ease of handling, and changes to the inlay design such as a special 1996 emblem to signify the 25th anniversary.

[14] The nominations for each year's Junos are based on an eligibility period which lasts for 13 to 14 months, ending on the mid-November prior to the awards ceremony.

Musicians or their representatives submit music released during the eligibility period to CARAS, designated for the appropriate nomination categories.

[30] Following the close of the eligibility period, CARAS conducts an initial vote by its members to establish the list of nominees in most categories.

The provinces of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and the Territories, have yet to play host to the Junos.

In recent years, the various locations often host a number of supporting events and festivals surrounding the awards.

This fact had previously been criticized for creating a barrier to the commercial visibility of Canadian hip hop.

As a result of the controversy, the Juno Awards moved the rap category to the main ceremony the following year.

Offishall cited Canadian hip-hop's low profile at that year's awards as the catalyst for his decision.

Offishall also criticized the Juno Awards for having the American group The Black Eyed Peas perform at that year's ceremony.

They had me perform last night and give away the award — to me it's all a farce, I really can't put up with it anymore.

For several days prior to the weekend award presentations, events are held in the host city as part of a "Juno Week".

[61] Events include: Juno Cup, an ice hockey game that pits a team of musicians against a team of National Hockey League players as a fundraiser for MusiCounts, a charitable music education program operated by CARAS,[62] Juno Fan Fare, a meet and greet where fans can meet their favourite Canadian artists,[63] Juno Songwriters' Circle, a chance for Canada's most talented songwriters to tell their stories and play an intimate set in support of MusiCounts, and JUNOfest, a music celebration that showcases local artists at various venues in the host city.