MOBO has introduced new amendments that will guide the 22nd Annual MOBO Awards process, after completing its annual awards review. The changes have established an 11-strong expert MOBO Awards Judging Panel – a new voting body convened in 2017, chaired by artist manager and music consultant Kwame Kwaten, to select the final nominees and ultimately, the winners of many of the annual MOBO Awards’ categories.
The MOBO Awards judging panel consists of 11 music enthusiasts representing every sector of the music industry: DJ’s, publishers, journalists, editors, managers, agents, streaming platforms and media.
The event, which celebrates the best in urban music, will be held at the First Direct Arena on Wednesday, November 29.
The full 2017 Rule Amendments are printed below:
Number Of Categories In Which Public May Vote Decreases
To reflect the introduction of an expert MOBO Awards Judging Panel, the number of categories in which the general-public will be asked to vote for a winner has decreased to 5: Best Newcomer, Best Hip Hop Act, Best R&B/Soul Act, Best Grime Act and Best International Act.
There Will No Longer Be Weighted Voting To Determine MOBO Award Winners
In recent years, online ballots from the MOBO Awards Voting Academy and general public would each be weighted 50% towards the final list of winners. This will change and the MOBO Awards Judging Panel will now carry 100% of the final vote for the following categories:
BEST MALE ACT
BEST FEMALE ACT
BEST ALBUM
BEST VIDEO
BEST SONG
While the general-public carries 100% of the final vote for the following categories:
BEST NEWCOMER
BEST HIP HOP ACT
BEST R&B/SOUL ACT
BEST INTERNATIONAL ACT
BEST GRIME ACT
For Best Jazz Act, Best Reggae Act, Best Gospel Act and Best African Act, specialist committees will convene to determine final list of nominees and eventual winners.
Introduction Of MOBO Awards Judging Panel
Introduction of an MOBO Awards Judging Panel, made up of 12 independent music expert judges who will screen the results from the online MOBO Awards Voting Academy to produce the final list of nominees and vote for the eventual MOBO Awards winners.
Specialist Category Committees To Determine Nominees & Eventual Winners Of Best Jazz Act, Best Reggae Act, Best Gospel Act and Best African Act
To help ensure the quality of the voting process, nominees and eventual winners in these categories will be reviewed and determined by separate committees comprised of specialists in these specific genres.
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