TORONTO – The Weeknd’s hit album “Starboy” may have appeared to miss the deadline for this year’s Juno Awards, but that didn’t stop it from getting a best album nomination.

The decision came down to fine print in the Juno eligibility rules.

Organizers behind Canada’s biggest music awards say they allowed the singer’s third album to qualify this year because strong pre-sales were registered in the days leading up to the closing of the eligibility period.

Album of the year is one of the Juno categories in which nominees are based solely on sales figures.

Submission guidelines say Juno contenders must have released their album by Nov. 11, 2016, to be considered, while “Starboy” hit retail stores and online merchants on Nov. 25.

Allan Reid, president of the Junos, says organizers saw it differently. They considered the “Starboy” digital pre-sale launch date of Nov. 6 to be the album’s official release date.

That meant every copy sold before the end of 2016 went towards giving “Starboy” a better chance at its nomination.

Considering that “Starboy” was one of the biggest albums of last year, it easily surpassed others for a spot in the category. First-week sales alone were a stunning 63,000 units in Canada, according to Soundscan.

The album’s huge popularity doesn’t necessarily mean the Weeknd will grab the trophy. Industry players ultimately vote on the winner.

The Juno Awards will be held at Ottawa’s Canadian Tire Centre on April 2 and air on CTV.

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