MUSIC awards are funny things. Some invite highbrow critical acclaim and ensure a hefty rise in sales, others are just an excuse for industry players to put on a suit, hobnob and get hammered. Some are about mobilising legions of friends, family, acquaintances and fans for voting, other results are left down to the opinions of a few wise men and women.

Remarkably, the music award with the most prestige in this country is but a year old, but follows a formula that ensures respect: judge something tangible and specific, don't hand over power to dubious public voting and, if all else fails, just base it on the Mercury music prize.

The Choice Music Prize is in its second year (last year's winner was Julie Feeney's excellent 13 Songs) and awards the best Irish album released the previous year.

Set up by music journalist Jim Carroll and A&R man David Reid, the prize aims to "highlight those albums which deserve some extra time in the spotlight and ultimately to select the album which best sums up the year in Irish music".

12 judges from music media around the country are invited to submit their top 10 albums of the year and the shortlist is compiled based on those choices.

The prize does not take sales, airplay or hype into account, focusing solely on the music. Next Wednesday, the panel will convene at Vicar St in Dublin where eight of the 10 acts will perform live and at the end of the night the best album will be chosen and the act awarded.

Is it the job of the jury to highlight a great record that has otherwise been overlooked? Or try to give the award to musically the best album released that year? Or reach a compromise between the 12 judges?

If it's the first option, the award should go to Si Schroeder; if it's the second, Republic of Loose deserve to win; while if a compromise is the only way to seal it then The Immediate are a sure thing.

One thing is for sure, the betterknown names of Snow Patrol, David Kitt and Divine Comedy aren't in with a shot. Like most awards whose decisions lie with music journalists and co, the winner tends to be musically experimental and progressive, and - apart from a few Arctic Monkeyshaped exceptions - not mainstream.

Most of the acts on the list have been driving the resurgence in creative Irish music for the past couple of years. The Immediate, a Dublin four-piece who released their debut, In Towers and Clouds, on British label Fantastic Plastic (home to The Futureheads and Guillemots), have been drawing acclaim since their inception.

Peter Toomey who, like most of the band, switches between bass, drums and vocals, has plenty of praise for the award, even though he didn't think his band would get nominated. "It's good that it's just album-based. It's strictly the album and I like that idea. . . We're just pretty chuffed to be nominated because there are a lot of bands with hit albums on it. I wasn't sure we were going to get a nomination because so many people were bringing out good records last year."

Toomey also has words of caution for indie bands on larger labels - especially timely given the record company differences Bell X1 and Humanzi have been experiencing. "Smaller labels. . . you won't get as much of a financial push, but they are more personable, " he says. "They give you a little time to work things out. The bigger labels, if you don't bring back the goods, they'll find someone else, but that's the way big businesses work, I suppose."

Director's We Thrive On Big Cities also got a nod. The Malahide boys won Best New Irish Act at this year's Meteor awards following the success of their singles, including 'Reconnect'.

"We were nominated for two Meteor awards, but getting nominated for this means a great deal more, " guitarist Eoin Ahern says.

"First of all, it's an award for an album and that's the purpose of being in a band, that piece of work. . . We were delighted to be nominated because there were a lot of people who didn't get nominated - The Frames, Damien Rice, The Blizzards.

It's great to be included with people like Divine Comedy and Snow Patrol, who have been making albums for a long time, because the fact is that this is our first one and we did it ourselves."

John from Messiah J & The Expert, Ireland's best hip-hop ensemble, is a little more forthright about their nomination.

"From our perspective, we were a bit surprised about getting nominated - we didn't think we would but we think we deserve it." John has put all of his bets on The Immediate. "They're my favourite band of the year. The best album that came out in Ireland last year is The Immediate's and I hope they win it. I think they're a brilliant, brilliant band."

The Immediate were early favourites, along with Snow Patrol, but the current bookies' favourite is little-known amongst most Si Schroeder, whose record, Coping Mechanisms, had appeared on numberous 'best of 2006' lists by December last year. Simon aka Si Schroeder would like to see Messiah J & The Expert bag the prize, which includes a specially commissioned award and a cheque from Imro and Irma for Euro10,000.

"My gut says that I'll win, but my brain says that Duke Special will, " Simon says. "Psychologically, the nomination has made a difference to me because lots of records released on independent labels get put out there and then veer into obscurity so it's a really nice thing to see, six or seven months after my record was released, it gets a nod. It is reasuring to see that it's got legs."

For Duke Special, it's his second nomination, having also made the shortlist last year. The Choice Music Prize has definitely made a difference to his profile. "Last year, it was one of the things that, along with touring loads and loads, got people talking about the record.

The best thing for me was that newspapers and radio were talking about it and playing it for the first time. That was a real turning point for me - it can't be underestimated the impact that [getting nominated] has."

The ceremony takes place in Vicar Street at 7.30pm sharp on Wednesday 28 February. Tickets are Euro25. Every act nominated - except Snow Patrol and Fionn Regan who are on tour - will perform on the night.

Who's in it. . .

THE NOMINEES The Immediate (In Towers And Clouds) Excellent avant guarde jittery indie from one of Ireland's most exhilarating live acts.

Republic of Loose (Aaagh! ) Well-produced soul/pop/funk/hip-hop with a few radio hits to boot.

David Kitt (Not Fade Away) A little rougher than we're used to from one of Ireland's most prominent singersongwriters.

Fionn Regan (The End Of History) Gorgeously understated acoustic tunes from Bray, but with an Americana heart Duke Special (Songs From The Deep Fores t) Epic left-of-centre ballads with added gramophone.

Divine Comedy (Victory For The Comic Muse) Another smart and highly-evolved record from Neil Hannon.

Director (We Thrive On Big Cities) Understated and sparse guitars will killer melodies Messiah J & The Expert (Now This I Have To Hear) Alternative hip-hop from the pillars of the Irish scene.

Si Schroeder (Coping Mechanisms) Introspective and eclectic leftfield acoustronica.

Snow Patrol (Eyes Open) The biggest-selling album in Britain last year.

THE JUDGES (JOURNALISTS AND DJS) John Caddell (Phantom FM) Stuart Clarke (Hotpress) Alison Curtis (Today FM ) Neil Dunphy (Sunday Tribune) Sinead Gleeson (The Ticket) Rick O'Shea (2FM) Nick Kelly (Irish Independent) Mike Knightson (Live 95 Limerick) Padraic Kileen (Irish Examiner) Eamon Sweeney (Foggy Notions) Tanya Sweeney (The Star) Jonny Tiernan (Alternative Ulster)