Richmond’s Newlin Music Prize Announces 2023 Short List

The Newlin Music Prize has just revealed the 20 albums on the 2023 Short List, all of which are in consideration for this year’s award that celebrates excellence in music from Richmond, VA. Voting is currently underway by members of the Newlin jury as well as the general public via a fan vote on the Newlin Music Prize website.

Founded in 2022 and named after musical prodigy, VCU professor, and performer Dika Newlin (1923-2006), the Newlin Music Prize is awarded to the best full-length album from the Richmond, Virginia metropolitan area based solely on artistic merit without regard to style or popularity, as decided by members of the local music scene and fans. The winner will be revealed on March 20, 2022, with the winning artist receiving a cash prize of $1,000 and a commemorative trophy.

 

The short list was chosen from albums released by artists in the Richmond-Petersburg metropolitan area in 2022 that either exceeded 25 minutes in length or contained at least five songs. All albums released under these parameters were considered for the award. There was no submission process or entry fee required from local musicians, labels, or studios.

A jury of more than 80 musicians, journalists, artists, photographers, and activists nominated albums for this award. From there, a 12 member committee reviewed the nominations and determined the official Short List of 20 albums. Each member of the jury will now review the 20 records and submit a ranked ballot which will be used to determine the winner. There is a public fan vote open from February 13 until March 17 at NewlinMusicPrize.com, valid for one vote per e-mail address. Results of the fan vote will count as one ballot towards the final result.

Modeled after similar awards such as Canada’s Polaris Music Prize and the United Kingdom’s Mercury Prize, the goal of the Newlin Music Prize is to raise awareness of the diverse music scene in Richmond, Virginia and to encourage more great recordings in the future. The inaugural award in 2022 was won by McKinley Dixon for the album For My Mama And Anyone Who Look Like Her.

The Newlin jury invites everyone to please listen to all of the amazing records included in this list, and to keep supporting local music!