BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards


The BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards celebrate outstanding achievement during the previous year within the field of folk music, with the aim of raising the profile of folk and acoustic music. The awards have been given annually since 2000 by British radio station BBC Radio 2.
Award recipients have included Joan Baez, Cat Stevens, John Martyn, Steve Earle, The Dubliners, Martin Carthy, Billy Bragg, Shirley Collins, Kate Rusby, Cara Dillon, Eliza Carthy, Bellowhead, June Tabor, Oysterband, Aly Bain, Richard Thompson, Nancy Kerr, Seth Lakeman, Show of Hands, Lau, Tom Paxton, Don McLean, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Nic Jones, Bella Hardy, Rhiannon Giddens, Norma Waterson, The Chieftains, Joan Armatrading and James Taylor.

History

The event has been staged at The Brewery in London, The Lowry theatre in Salford, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall and in 2014, 2016 and 2017, the Royal Albert Hall. In 2015 the event was staged at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff. In 2018, the event was held in Northern Ireland, at the Belfast Waterfront. The 20th annual Folk Awards will take place on 16 October 2019 at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester during the Manchester Folk Festival.
The Folk Awards was hosted by Mike Harding between 2000 and 2012, and broadcast on BBC Radio 2. Mark Radcliffe and Scottish Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis took over presenting the ceremony in 2013. In 2004 the awards were shown on television for the first time, on BBC Four. The event has been streamed live in audio and video on the BBC Radio 2 website, the BBC iPlayer and/or the BBC Red Button TV service.
The Young Folk Award was added to the event in 2011, having previously been awarded in a separate ceremony.
In 2016, Rhiannon Giddens became the first American winner of the 'Folk Singer of the Year' award.

Voting

The nominees in most categories are chosen by a panel of 150 representatives from the British folk world, including broadcasters, journalists, record producers, festival organisers, venue bookers, record company directors, agents and promoters. The panelists can vary slightly from year to year, with new panelists being invited each year. The final panel is selected by the Folk Awards committee, which includes staff from the BBC, the production company 7digital Creative, and representatives from outside those organisations.
The 'Best Original Track' and 'Best Traditional Track' categories are chosen by smaller specialist panels of judges, and the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award - presented as part of the Folk Awards - is decided by a standalone contest.
The 'Best Album' category is decided by a public vote, hosted on the BBC website.

Compilation album

A Folk Awards double-album, featuring music by most of the nominees, was released annually by the event's producers in collaboration with BBC Radio 2 and the record label and distribution company, Proper Music. The album was distributed physically and digitally.

Hall of Fame

In 2014, a posthumous award was introduced to celebrate the contribution of significant figures in folk music's past.

2018

Venue: Belfast Waterfront

2017

Venue: Royal Albert Hall, London

2016

Venue: Royal Albert Hall, London

2015

Venue: Millennium Centre, Cardiff

2014

Venue: Royal Albert Hall, London

2013

Venue: Glasgow Royal Concert Hall

2012

Venue: The Lowry, Salford

2011

Venue: The Brewery, London

2010