Nelly Furtado and Nickelback were among the nominees for this year's West Coast Music Awards, organizers announced.

The prizes will be handed out March 7 at Vancouver's Commodore Ballroom. The fifth annual awards are handed out to the cream of the music scene in B.C. and the Yukon.

Swollen Members, Bif Naked, Matthew Good Band, Kim Bingham, The New Pornographers, Econoline Crush, and Delerium were also among the top nominees.

Victoria native Furtado and Vancouver-based Naked and Bingham are both up for female artist of the year, along with Kelly Brock and Lily Frost.

Furtado and Naked (with Peter Karroll and Doug Fury) are also in the running for songwriter of the year, along with Carolyn Arends, Kim Barlow, and the team of Laura Doyle and Sean Eyre.

Nickelback's "Silver Side Up" and Naked's "Purge" are nominated for best major-label release. They're up against Delerium's "Poem," Gob's "The World According To Gob", and Metalwood's "The Recline."

Naked, Nickelback, and Gob's albums are also competing for best rock release, alongside Econoline Crush's "Brand New History" and Matthew Good Band's "The Audio Of Being."

Nickelback's self-production on "Silver Side Up" earned them a best producer nomination, alongside Steven Drake (for Gordon Downie's "Coke Machine Glow"), Futcher (for the Be Good Tanyas' "Blue Horse"), Sean Pierce (for Metalwood's "The Recline"), and the team of Jesse Zubot, Jeff Holl, and Jason Michas (for Michas's "Ode To A Dead Bird").

The Pacific Music Industry Association, which organizes the awards, has more information at www.pmia.org.