So without further ado....
The Lexington Music Award (also known as Lex Area Music Awards and Lexi Music Awards) has a unique, 3-tier nominations process.
1) The general public can vote for whomever they please in each category.
This is a recognition of the role that MUSIC FANS play in the scene. By numbers, they are the majority of the scene, but more importantly, it needs to be recognized that without music lovers, the rest of us are just practicing in our basements.
Their votes net TWO of the 4 nominees in each category.
2) An annually rotating professional panel votes for their choices in each category (plus they choose the Critics Choice recipient).
Our pro panel is made up of about half a dozen industry pros each year....from performers to producers to venue managers to educators and more. We try to make sure we have people knowledgeable on various areas of the scene and multiple styles of music, as well as a good span of age range and the like. The members of the panel have their names published in the awards show program, but are not known to the public prior to the event each year.
Their votes net the other TWO of the 4 nominees in each category.
3) The nominees themselves vote in the final round to choose the award recipient in each category.
The ultimate in peer review, as it were. And with nominees changing each year, this changes the make-up of the voters for the finals each year.
I'm happy to speak more in depth on this issue if anyone has any questions.
Thanx!