Progressive Music Awards Nominees Announced

The first annual Progressive Music Awards take place in September in London and they are organised by Prog Magazine.

Steven Wilson leads the nominations with five, followed by both Steve Hackett and Ian Anderson, who are nominated in four categories each, and with Opeth’s Mikael Akerfeldt and It Bites both featuring in three different awards categories.

"These awards have been a long time coming,” says Prog Editor Jerry Ewing. "But certainly when one considers the enormous amount of success that progressive artists have garnered over the past four decades, and perhaps more importantly the enjoyment they have given millions of fans over the years, it’s only right we give something back to the musicians themselves And given the buoyancy of the genre in recent years, we felt that the time was certainly right.

"We think we’ve managed to get the balance of nominations right with acknowledgement of the original wave of progressive artists who have been such an inspiration to so many people, and today’s new wave of forward thinking musicians who carry the flame ever onwards.”

You can vote on these awards HERE

NEW BLOOD Sponsored by Kscope

The best up and coming act of the year, unsigned or signed and fledgling.

TesseracT

Gazpacho

Von Hertzen Brothers

Headspace

The Reasoning

Haken

Touchstone

LIVE EVENT Sponsored by Esoteric/Cherry Red

For the band or act who made the greatest show on earth this year.

Ian Anderson – Thick As A Brick tour

Summer’s End Festival

Opeth – Brixton Academy

Steve Hackett – ChildLine Rocks Charity Show, Islington Assembly Rooms

Steven Wilson – Shepherd’s Bush Empire

Marillion – Forum/US Tour

Anathema – Union Chapel/Koko

ANTHEM

Prog comes in all shapes and sizes these days. Saluting the most creative songs of the past 12 months.

Steven Wilson – Raider II

Panic Room – Song For Tomorrow

Arena – One Last Au Revoir

Karmakanic – Turn It Up

Crippled Black Phoenix – Laying Traps

It Bites – The Last Escape

Squackett – A Life Within A Day

ALBUM OF THE YEAR Sponsored by InsideOut

The best of the progressive full length releases.

Anathema – Weather Systems

Storm Corrosion – Storm Corrosion

Opeth – Heritage

It Bites – Map Of The Past

Rush – Clockwork Angels

Yes – Fly From Here

Nightwish – Imaginaerum

GRAND DESIGN

Celebrating the artistic achievement for the raft of Special and Deluxe Editions that populate the modern progressive genre.

Pink Floyd – Immersion Reissues

King Crimson – Panegyric Reissues

Peter Gabriel – New Blood Deluxe Edition

Steven Wilson – Grace For Drowning Deluxe Edition

Rush – Sectors Box Sets

Jethro Tull – Aqualung 40th Anniversary Special Edition

Tangerine Dream – Zeit Box Set

VIRTUOSO Sponsored by KEF

The musician who’s the cream of the 2012 prog crop chop-wise – could be a tub-thumper, a singer, keyboard king or guitar slinger. Being prog, it could even be the nose flute.

Mike Portnoy (Flying Colors)

John Petrucci (Dream Theater)

John Mitchell (It Bites/Arena)

Nick Beggs (Steve Hackett/Steven Wilson)

Rob Reed (Magenta)

Carl Palmer (ELP/Asia)

Roine Stolt (Flower Kings/Transatlantic)

VISIONARY Sponsored by Eagle Rock

The spirit of prog independence, the rogues in our midst who make their own niche in a progressive direction.

Hawkwind

Kraftwerk

Radiohead

Muse

Can

Peter Hammill

Kate Bush

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT Sponsored by Prog Rocks!

These are the people who have kept the flag flying and are synonymous with the genre. Their unswerving dedication and nerve has built the foundations for generations to come.

Jethro Tull

Pink Floyd

Yes

Moody Blues

Genesis

Van der Graaf Generator

ELP

GUIDING LIGHT

The person at the pinnacle of progressive thought today, this award is for the men and women who keep pushing boundaries, keep prog in the public eye and continue to inspire the young artists just setting out on their own paths.

Mikael Akerfeldt

Matt Bellamy

Robert Fripp

Steve Hackett

Mike Portnoy

Steven Wilson

Fish

PROG GOD Sponsored by Orange

The biggest movers and shakers within the progressive field over the last 40 years. Without this person prog would be a different, lesser place.

Ian Anderson

Rick Wakeman

Roger Waters

Peter Gabriel

Jon Anderson

Kate Bush

Steve Hillage