MPG Awards Move To June And Announce New Categories

The Music Producers Guild has announced that the 2021 MPG Awards will now take place on June 10, while two new categories have been announced for the 2021 ceremony: UK Writer-Producer Of The Year and UK Original Score Recording Of The Year.

Submissions will be open from October 5-19, and anyone can put forward a name against one of the 13 award categories (the remaining Awards are in the gift of the MPG).

The eligibility period has also been extended to include music released between August 1 2019 and September 30 2020.

The MPG recognises rising stars as well as more established industry players, and therefore encourages submissions from anyone – from music industry professionals, to the general public.

Submissions can be made via the MPG website, here.

The MPG 2021 Awards categories open for public submission are:

UK Producer Of The Year
Breakthrough Producer Of The Year
Recording Engineer Of The Year
Breakthrough Engineer Of The Year
Self-Producing Artist Of The Year
UK Writer-Producer Of The Year
Mix Engineer Of The Year
Mastering Engineer Of The Year
Re-mixer Of The Year
UK Album Of The Year
UK Single Song Release Of The Year
UK Original Score Recording Of The Year
Studio Of The Year

The MPG 2021 Awards categories in the gift of the MPG are:

The MPG Inspiration Award
PPL Present The MPG Award For Outstanding Contribution To UK Music
The Special Recognition Award

The MPG has clarified the eligibility criteria to include Vocal Production in Break Producer Of The Year and UK Producer of The Year – in recognition of this growing role.

Submissions are the first stage in the MPG Awards process. Once names are submitted and checked as eligible against each Award criterion, MPG Full Members vote to create a shortlist, which is presented to the judging panel and announced to press and public in December. Winners are then announced at the ceremony.

Previous winners include Stormzy, Marta Salogni, James Ford, Dani Bennett Spragg, Skepta, Youth, Paul Epworth, FKA Twigs, Brian Eno, Roni Size, Catherine Marks, Trevor Horn, Dave Stewart and The Church Studios.

"We are thrilled to be hosting another year of the MPG Awards, showcasing some of the best talent in professional audio,” commented Rhiannon Mair, Executive Director of The MPG commented:

“In an ever-evolving industry we recognise that the way records are made is evolving, which is why we have introduced two new awards to celebrate that. Looking forward to June 2021!"

Tony Platt, Managing Director of the MPG Awards added:

“It has never been more important than it is right now that we do everything in our power to support the amazing creative talent we have in our industry. We have also always tried to develop our fabulous Awards Show to keep pace with the innovation and inspiration of those creative people who are at the heart of the UK music business. So we are taking this opportunity to make some exciting changes so we can recognise the widest possible cohort of music professionals. Roll on next summer!”

The awards will once again take place at Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London. Tickets will go on sale in February/March via the MPG website.

Sponsorship opportunities to suit all budgets are also available for this event. Companies that would like to discuss this should contact MPG Awards event organiser, Adam Cuthbertson.