Trophy life: enter the GIT music awards 2013

The ‘Liverpool Mercury prize’, aka the GIT awards, is set to return this year, after its successful knees-up at Leaf in 2012. Should you wish to vie for the prize with the city’s best, there’s still time to take part.

Last year’s shortlist was a strong one; a cross-section of great music going on in the city. We approved of winners Loved Ones, currently holed up working on their debut album, and expected to be unleashed later in the year. Their solemn electronica-tinged pop saw off competition from the likes of Europe-conquering trio Stealing Sheep, who managed to make one of the strongest albums the city’s seen in a long while.

Whether many of the bands end up making the shortlist a second year remains to be seen (we hope so), but the past year has been defined by the sheer amount of musical stuff coming from Merseyside. Every single week there’s a new Soundcloud account from someone’s best mate’s auntie’s solo electro-folk project, and although only a few newbies have been as gripping or fully-formed as some of the 2012 shortlist, it’s encouraging to see that the city’s in a musical purple patch right now, and there’s shedloads of potential.

This year’s judges include Craig Pennington from Bido Lito, 6Music presenter Tom Ravenscroft, Evol promoter Revo, Getintothis’ Peter Guy and - yes - even SevenStreets editor David Lloyd, who’ll get to live out his Eurovision-style judging fantasies for real come spring.

Want to enter? Send four tracks to [email protected] or to Peter Guy, The GIT Award, Liverpool Daily Post & ECHO, PO Box 48, Old Hall Street, Liverpool, L69 3EB. Closes 23rd Feb. Getintothis