October, 2012.
The Atlantis Music Prize is Newfoundland and Labrador’s juried critic’s prize for recorded music. It honours the full-length album as an art form and awards a cash prize of $1,000 to the artist or artists who create the best album of the year. All genres of original music are considered for the Atlantis Music Prize and no entry fees required.
There are three voting rounds:
A longlist of 30 nominated Albums of the Year will be selected by an independent panel of jurors selected based on their knowledge of the local music scene. The longlist will be announced to the public November 1, 2012.
A shortlist of 10 nominated “Albums of the Year” will be selected by the same panel. The list will be announced to the public December 5, 2012.
A second panel of jurors (the Grand Jury) will convene at the Atlantis Music Prize Gala on Thursday, December 13, 2012 to select the winner.
1. Eligibility: 1a. Criteria. Atlantis Music Prize nominees and winners will be selected solely on artistic merit without regard to genre, sales history or label affiliation. There is no submission process or entry fee. Compilations
1b. Genres. All forms of music are eligible for the Atlantis Music Prize.
1c. Album definition. Only albums qualify for consideration. An album is defined as 30 minutes of music, or at least 7 songs. Compilations of previously released recordings, including remixes, are not eligible.
1d. Qualifying period. To qualify, albums must have been publicly released between November 1, 2011 and October 31, 2012.
1e. Release definition. A release is defined as a) available for purchase from a music retailer or b) available for purchase or download from any recognized digital retailer c) available for free or purchase from an artist website.
1f. Newfoundland and Labrador definition. Artists must be residents of Newfoundland and Labrador. For bands, at least 50% of members must be residents of Newfoundland and Labrador.
1g. Additonal interpretations. Any additional interpretations of the rules shall be at the sole discretion of the Atlantis Music Prize director. All rulings are final.
2. Jury Process: 2a. Submission.There is no submission process. An independent panel of jurors will consider all eligible releases and nominate 10 albums for the Atlantis Music Prize Shortlist.
2b. The Jury is… Jurors are selected from across the province. The jury includes those who regularly review and/or programme local artists. Jurors are either a) music journalists and programmers or producers from print publications, radio, television and web media b) people recognized for their knowledge and appreciation of local music c) local musicians. Musicians who have released an album in the period between November 1, 2011 and October 31, 2012, or people who have otherwise been a part of the production process (ie. band member, writer, producer, etc.) of an album released in that time are permitted on the jury, but cannot vote for an album they worked on. If an album they worked on makes the Long List, that juror will be asked to step down.
2c. Conflict of interest. Jury members must disclose any possible conflicts of interest to Atlantis director before being accepted as a jury member. Lack of conflict of interest disclosure will result in cancellation of ballot for that year and lifetime exclusion from the jury. A complete list of Atlantis jurors is available from the director.
2d. The voting. The selected jurors submit a list of what they consider to be the five best Newfoundland and Labrador recordings in any genre. These picks are vetted for eligibility and tabulated to form a list of 10 nominees. This shortlist will be announced to the public on December 5, 2012. A smaller group of 6 jurors (“The Grand Jury”) will convene and select the winner the night of the gala ceremony on December 13, 2012.
