For nearly two decades, the San Diego Music Awards (SDMA) have been the year’s highlight for San Diego musicians and their fans. Celebrating the wealth of talent that calls the area home, the event, produced by The San Diego Music Foundation, was first held in 1990. The purpose of the awards show is twofold. First, it puts the spotlight on local musicians, with 216 total nominees in 27 categories, encompassing everything from world music to hard rock. Second, the SDMA awards raise money for the San Diego Music Foundation’s Taylor Guitars for Schools Program. To date, guitars have been given to 59 schools around the county, effectively giving several generations of budding musicians their start. This year’s event, open to the public, takes place Friday, Sept. 10 at Viejas Concerts in the Park at 7 p.m. Performers include Players Inc., featuring members of Slightly Stoopid; Scarlet Symphony; The Silent Comedy; Get Back Loretta; Steph Johnson; The Burning of Rome and a Blues All Stars Jam. The high point of the night will likely come from this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award winners The Zeros. The reunited ’70s-era punk band remains hugely influential, particularly in Europe, where a DVD retrospective was recently issued. Already planning ahead to next year’s 20th anniversary show, San Diego Music Foundation president Kevin Hellman said he is pleased with the SDMA awards becoming something of an institution. “It’s just become a fun annual event,” Hellman said. “It is great to see all the artists coming together who might not have the opportunity otherwise. You have country bands with rock bands, blues bands meeting reggae bands; it’s a wonderful mix of people.” Though the focus is on celebration, Hellman said he considers the importance of the awards’ charitable aspect to be the most important part of the night. “Beyond the mixing, everybody understands — from the vendors to the musicians — that this is for charity, a good time, for a good cause.” Hellman said he is especially proud of the impact the awards have had on local children. “After this show, we will have placed more than 1,300 guitars in classrooms with the program,” Hellman said. “At a time when school arts programs keep getting cut, this is a way to help the area’s students.” Downtown’s Chris Leyva, a Best Local Recording award nominee for his album “27,” notes that he uses awards night to blend business with pleasure. “It’s definitely the party of the year,” Leyva said. “But it’s also a great opportunity for bands to meet local producers, DJs, TV personalities and so on, as well as for fans to meet their favorite performers, including some real surprises.” Indeed, past attendees would have seen presenters or guests at the event such as John Stewart (The Kingston Trio), Ike Turner, John Entwhistle (The Who), Jeff “Skunk” Baxter (The Doobie Brothers) and ’60s icon Johnny Rivers, among others. According to Ocean Beach resident Chuck Schiele, who is nominated with his band Bad Science Fiction in the category of Best New Artist, there are several reasons the awards are important. “Until this event came along, the music scene here was hardly recognized,” Schiele said. “Now that it’s part of the San Diego annual expectation, I’d say the city is a hundred times more aware of music than it was before the event was conceived.” Schiele said he welcomes the added competition an awards show brings. “While extremely civil, the competitive spirit is silently present,” Schiele said. “It has been my observation that everyone tries to write better bridges and play better chops due to that competition. That’s good for the scene.” Point Loma resident Sol Turpin, bassist with 40 Oz of Freedom, nominated for the second time this year in the category of Best Cover or Tribute Band, agrees that the awards have given music in San Diego greater visibility. “It brings a lot of attention to the local scene and that can only be a help,” Turpin said. “Earning a nomination certainly doesn’t hurt. It’s definitely a nice feather in your cap.” For Pacific Beach resident “Happy” Ron Hill, nominated in the category of Best Local Recording, the awards are a form of validation. “Everybody wants to be included,” Hill said. “It means that what you do has begun to be noticed.” Hill said he attends the show whether or not he scored a nomination. “When else are you going to get a chance to mingle with over 1,000 of your peers? Especially when they are all in a celebratory mood,” Hill said. Schiele also considers yearly attendance a must. “For me, its a great way to see all my music pals who are also, finally, off on the same evening as I am,” Schiele said. “As a concert event, it’s a class-A production. I’m honored to be part of such a cool, important, collective celebration.” Whether you are a die-hard or casual local music listener, the San Diego Music Awards offer up a strong mix of excitement and entertainment that promises to be the event of the year for area music fans. The San Diego Music Awards take place Thursday, Sept. 10 at Viejas Concerts in the Park, 5000 Willows Road in Alpine at 7 p.m. Tickets range from $25 to $75. For more information, visit www.sandiegomusicawards.com.