With such a difficult year for the music industry, it’s comforting to see signs of life. The NI Music Prize returning again this year is one such comfort.
Now in its eighth year, the awards are accepting submissions for singles and albums from Northern Irish artists. This is the second year the awards have used this submission process, with last year culminating in Ryan Vail and Elma Orkestra’s Borders taking hope the main prize. From here the submissions are reduced to a long list, a short list and of course an eventual winner. The deadline for submissions in these categories closes next week on 30th July.
While no doubt many artists will be chomping at the bit to submit their own music, submissions are encouraged from anyone so you can nominate your own favourites.
With so much uncertainty around the return of live shows, it’s still unclear how what form this year’s awards will take. Whatever happens we know there will be another strong list of releases showcasing some of the great music being made in Northern Ireland right now, and one we hope will show the increasing diversity of the various scenes around the country.
The submission form and full guide to eligibility is available from the Northern Ireland Music Prize website.