Uncut to rip up awards rulebook.

UNCUT IS CREATING A NEW MUSIC AWARD, aimed at celebrating "the most inspiring and richly rewarding album of the last 12 months", with judges to include BPI chairman Tony Wadsworth and Radio Two DJ Bob Harris.

Meanwhile, fellow IPC title NME has announced that its 2009 awards ceremony will take place at London's Brixton Academy, to be followed for the second year running by a gig at the O2 Arena.

The Uncut Music Award will be decided by a 10-strong panel including Wadsworth, Harris, Uncut editor Allan Jones, singer-songwriter Edwyn Collins, New Order bassist Peter Hook, Vince Power Music Group founder Vince Power, Later... with Jools Holland producer Alison Howe and Radio Two DJ Mark Radcliffe.

Unlike the Nationwide Mercury Prize, which is only open to UK and Irish acts, the Uncut Music Award will be open to artists of any nationality. A long list of 25 albums released between September 1 2007 and August 31 2008 has been sent to the panel, who will each rank their top five albums of the year.

Once the panel's votes have been combined, a shortlist of eight albums will be generated. The panellists will then pick a winner, to be announced at a ceremony in early November. For the first year this is likely to be a drinks party rather than a sit down meal, although the plan is to produce "a structure that can grow", according to Uncut associate publisher James Thrower.

"At the moment a lot of our competitor magazines have awards ceremonies just going through the motions," Thrower explains. "Rather than just having quite a dull awards ceremony, we want to do something ...