The following categories will be voted on by members of the San Diego Music Academy. Public voting is not allowed on these categories. They are listed here for your information. Complete results of the voting will be presented here after the awards ceremony.

• Best Pop Album
  • Unwritten Law - Music in High Places
  • Parker Theory - Can Anybody Hear Me?
  • The Shambles - Chelsea Smiles
  • Slightly Stoopid - Everything You Need
  • Jason Mraz - Waiting for My Rocket to Come
  • Switchfoot - The Beautiful Letdown
• Best Rock Album
  
  • The Dragons - Sin Salvation
  • Rocket From the Crypt - Live From Camp X-Ray
  • The Stereotypes - 1
  • RDG - The Vault
  • Goodbye, Blue Monday - Next Time We Stop Breathing
  • Reeve Oliver - The Reevelution EP
• Best Alternative Album
  
  • Ilya - Poise is the Greater Architect
  • No Knife - Riot for Romance
  • Maquiladora - When The Day Was Dreaming
  • Blackheart Procession - Amore del Tropico
  • The Robot Ate Me - They Ate Themselves
  • Beehive & the Barracudas - In Dark Love
• Best Punk Album
  
  • The Locust - Plague Soundscapes
  • Agent 51 - Red and the Black
  • Plot to Blow up the Eiffel Tower - Dissertation Honey
  • Mr. Orange Undercover
  • Irradio - Semantic Noise
  • Kill Me Tomorrow - Skin's Getting Weird
• Best Hard Rock Album
  
  • Cage - Darker than Black
  • Brick Bath - Rebuilt
  • Cattle Decapitation - To Serve Man
  • The Abuse - Transmutate
  • Divided By Zero - The Seperation EP
  • As I Lay Dying - Frail Words Collapses
• Best Blues Album
  
  • Sue Palmer - Live at Dizzy's
  • Candye Kane - Whole Lotta Love
  • DA & The Hitmen - Looking Past The Blues
  • Blue Largo - Still in Love With You
  • The Fremonts - No More Doggin'
  • Hoodoo Blues - Trouble Again
• Best Jazz Album
  
  • Peter Sprague - Pass the Drum
  • Fattburger - Sizzlin'
  • The Samadhi Trio - s/t
  • Karl Denson's Tiny Universe - The Bridge
  • Buddy Blue - Sordid Lives
  • David Patrone - Uptown
• Best Americana Album
  
  • Nickel Creek - This Side
  • Derek Duplessie - Stereo
  • Mark Jackson - Vigilante Road
  • Eve Selis - Do You Know Me
  • Dan Connor - Writes of Passage
  • Peter Bolland - Frame
• Best Local Recording
  
  • Gregory Page - Love Made Me Drunk
  • Sven-Erik Seaholm - Upload
  • The Glossines - s/t
  • a.m. Vibe - s/t
  • Rookie Card - First Day of Class
  • Via Satellite - Re:Public
• Album of the Year
  
  • Nickel Creek - This Side
  • Switchfoot - The Beautiful Letdown
  • Jason Mraz - Waiting for My Rocket to Come
  • Slightly Stoopid - Everything You Need
  • The Locust - Plague Soundscapes
  • Ilya - Poise is the Greater Architect
• Song of the Year
  
  • Jason Mraz - The Remedy (I Won't Worry)
  • Switchfoot - Meant to Live
  • P.O.D. - Slipping Away [The Matrix Reloaded soundtrack]
  • The Troys - What Do You Do?
  • Slightly Stoopid - Sweet Honey
  • Agent 51 - She's My Heroine