Definitions of Eligibility
1. All projects and music related to the person being nominated, and all nominations for Album Of The Year and Original Score Recording Of The Year must have been commercially released (for the first time and not previously released) for download and/or purchase as a physical or digital product, or streamed as a commercial product, between 1st October 2020 to 30th September 2021. For Score Recording Of The Year, the eligible album’s release date, rather than the film or television programme the music was produced for, must fall in the dates above. Avoiding doubt ‘commercially available’ means paid for or available as part of a paid-for subscription service. The release must also be unlimited, i.e. a limited edition promo release on limited formats, e.g. ‘vinyl only’ is ineligible.
2. General Distribution: Works must be released via general distribution, defined as the nationwide release of a recording via brick and mortar, third-party online retailers, and/or applicable digital streaming services. Applicable streaming services are paid subscription, full catalogue, on-demand streaming/limited download platforms that have existed as such within the United Kingdom for at least one full year as of the submission deadline. All recordings entered must have an assigned International Standard Recording Code (ISRC).
3. Apart from the Inspiration Award and the award for Outstanding Contribution, nominees must be either UK passport holders or be able to satisfy the Statutory Residency Test.
4. Recordings must be non-infringing, original works of authorship. To the extent, a recording embodies in whole or in part the copyrighted work of a third party, appropriate authorisation to use and incorporate such copyrighted work must have been obtained. If allegations arise that a recording is unauthorised and does not meet these criteria, MPG Awards Ltd. will consider the allegations and determine, at its sole discretion, the eligibility of such recordings.
5. For the Album Of The Year and Original Score Recording Of The Year categories, the award is presented to a production team, i.e. producer, recording engineer and mix engineer; with at least 50% of whom must be either UK passport holders or be able to satisfy the Statutory Residency Test. For Album Of The Year, in the case that one person was producer, engineer and mixer, then they must be either a UK passport holder or be able to satisfy the Statutory Residency Test. For Original Score Recording, in the event there is no Producer, then the third Award can go to the Composer if they are a UK Passport holder or able to satisfy the Statutory Residency Test. N.B. It is not necessary that the recording artists featured in the Album category hold UK passports or satisfy the Statutory Residency Test. Albums are regarded as eligible as long as they fulfil the definition published by the UK Official Charts company.
6. In the Breakthrough Producer & Rising Star categories, nominees who have been shortlisted in previous years (this includes Breakthrough Engineer) will be regarded as ineligible. In such cases, they will be deemed to have already ‘broken through’ in a previous year and so cannot ‘break through’ a second time.
7. Greatest Hits compilations will not be considered unless 50% of the tracks are new material.
8. Re-releases: if a previously released track undergoes a new mix (with possible additional production) and acquires a new ISRC, then it will be eligible for consideration in any of the awards categories. If a track is re-mastered and receives a new ISRC, it will qualify in the Mastering Engineer Of The Year award category.
9. In the event of questions or disputes regarding the eligibility of submissions for the MPG Awards, the decision of the MPG Awards Committee is final.
