Well, it's getting to be that time of year again!  We're beginning to plan our 2012 SoulTracks Readers' Choice Awards, the world's leading award dedicated to independent soul music. The awards will be broadcast in December, but we will be planning and voting long before then. 

And we need your help!  From now until October 7, we will be accepting nominations for this year's Readers' Choice Awards.  The Awards will be designed to honor the best of independent soul music artists and releases of the past year as well as the top Major Label Album of the Year.

To be nominated, an artist must have released an album (or had the album reached its commercial peak) between October 1, 2011 and September 30, 2012. And other than the Major Label Album of the Year, all other nominees must have released their music independently. You can see the full eligibility rules by clicking here.

Here are the categories:

Independent Album of the Year
Major Label Album of the Year
Song of the Year
Female Artist of the Year
Male Artist of the Year
Duo or Group of the Year
New Artist of the Year

Once we receive all the nominations, we'll have a committee of artists and music industry folks (more than 3,000 of them) choosing our finalists in each category.  Then we'll come back to you, the SoulTrackers, to vote on the winners.  The winners will be announced in our December broadcast.

NOMINATIONS CLOSED! CLICK HERE TO SEE THE NOMINEES