Singer Jann Arden was honoured at the 2006 SOCAN songwriting awards after six of her singles reached radio-play milestones.

The Calgary native was awarded a National Achievement Award from the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada, which held its 17th annual awards ceremony on Wednesday night in Toronto.

Signer Jann Arden poses in June with her star at the Canadian Walk of Fame induction ceremonies. She was awarded a National Achievement Award by SOCAN on Wednesday.
(Adrian Wyld/CP)

Like the BMI awards in the United States, the SOCAN awards are given to songwriters based on radio play across the country.

Arden wrote and recorded six of the 11 songs that were played at least 100,000 times on domestic radio in 2005. They were Sound of, Sleepless, Wonderdrug, Good Mother, Could I Be Your Girl? and Will You remember Me?

The other five songs reaching the milestone were all from the 1970s or earlier and took the long way to the 100,000 mark. They included the Stampeders' Devil You, Nick Gilder's Hot Child in the City, Sweeney Todd's Roxy Roller, the Powder Blues Band's Doin' it Right and the Five Man Electric Band's I'm a Stranger Here.

At the 2005 awards, Arden's Insensitive also reached the 100,000-airplay milestone.

This year, Arden also won a Pop Music Award for her 2005 song Where No One Knows Me.

Other winners for songs included Sum 41, Chantal Kreviazuk, Michael Bublé, Sarah Harmer and Avril Lavigne.

The rock band Finger Eleven, from the southern Ontario city of Burlington, also received an International Achievement Award.

A ceremony in Montreal on Tuesday recognized French-language hits and presented Quebec folk duo Kate and Anna McGarrigle with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

SOCAN ensures songwriters, composers, lyricists and music publishers are compensated when their music is broadcast or performed in public.