Lux Style Awards extend submission date after unequal representation allegations

For the first time in the history of the prestigious Pakistani award show, the Lux Style Awards (LSAs) have responded positively to the outcry at the unequal representation of artists in certain categories.

The allegations have been catered to by the jury of the award show with an extension for the submission of nominees. 

The award show's representatives issued an official statement on Instagram in response to the exclusion of female artists from the music category nominations.

The statement reasoned that the exclusion was a result of zero entries from female musicians within the submission deadline. However, the deadline has been extended. LSA also showed its commitment to “empower female artists across genres”.

The official LSAs statement reads, “The Lux Style Awards have a rich legacy as Pakistan’s premier and inclusive award show. Since its inception, LSA has honored the diverse talent across entertainment industries, striving for continued excellence in the quality of the platform and the experience of our fans.”

The statement added, "As an inclusive platform, we realize this gap and regret that the music categories did not reflect the remarkable efforts of our female artists. We have witnessed the undeniable contribution of our female artists to the music industry in the past year and feel that without their inclusion, the music categories cannot truly encompass Pakistan’s best world in the field.” 

“As a brand committed to empowering female artists across genres, we encourage our brilliant female musicians who have entertained us through the year to submit their entries for consideration,” they wrote.

The statement was issued following Pakistani artists including Meesha Shafi, Momina Mustehsan, Zeb Bangash, Maria Unera, Rachel Viccaji, Risham Faiz Bhutta, Sania from Justin Bibis, Eva B, Rutaba Yaqub, Natasha Baig and Nimra Rafiq slammed the platform for excluding female musicians.

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For the unversed, LSA's music nominations have four categories — song of the year, singer of the year, most streamed and best live performance — yet only male artists made it to this year’s list.