The MOBO Awards 2017 Nominations Launch event on Tuesday this week at YouTube Space in London was a huge success which saw 2016 MOBO winner and nominee Nadia Rose (pictured) give an exclusive performance. Thank you so much to those of you who made it down and supported either in person or on socials.

6 weeks ahead of the awards itself, that will take place in Leeds’ First Direct Arena on Wednesday 29^th November, here is a rundown of some of the game-changing work the organisation has done on the awards, as well as in the music community and creative industry as a whole.

• Judging Panel - An 11-strong expert voting body, chaired by artist manager and music consultant Kwame Kwaten, to screen the final nominees (following input from online Voting Academy) and ultimately vote for the winners of 5 of the main categories. The judging panel, which deliberates in the presence of an independent body, consists of 11 music enthusiasts, representing every sector of the music industry: DJs, publishers, journalists, editors, managers, agents, streaming platforms and media. More details here.

• Best Producer category -  MOBO Awards 2018 will see a new ‘Best Producer’ category introduced.

• MOBO Connect - Throughout the year, MOBO supports undiscovered musical talent online, via the Connect playlist. More infohere.

• #MOBOmovement –  Offering talent the opportunity to see their contributions published on MOBO’s YouTube channel. More infohere.

• UnSung and more  -  Other activities include the digital talent competition UnSung as part of a wider talent development programme, songwriting workshops, film screenings and support across the wider creative industries.

• MOBO Trust  -  The newly established charity, MOBO Trust, aims to help young people realise their potential in the creative sector. Also new is theMOBO Help Musicians Fund, to be announced shortly, a partnership between MOBO Trust and Help Musicians UK. More infohere.

• NHS Blood and Transplant -  After 2016’s award-winning campaign with Lady Leshurr that significantly increased blood donations across the BAME community, NHS BT will again partner with MOBO for a 2^nd year. This time to develop a choir, comprising of passionate music lovers from around England, who either live with or are connected to someone with Sickle Cell Disease, a condition that often requires frequent transfusions. The choir, namedB Positive, has been established with the aim to harness the power of music as a rallying cry to change lives and leave a positive legacy.

Kanya King, MOBO Organisation Founder & CEO said “This week’s nominations launch event at YouTube Space in London was a great way to gather together the music industry and kick off our MOBO Season. In the past year alone, the British black music scene has grown from strength to strength, contributing hugely both commercially and artistically to our industry - MOBO has always been pivotal to that and the nominations are a great reflection of this healthy and vibrant scene.

“MOBO continues to highlight the full array of black music genres, as well as celebrating emerging talent that might otherwise not be recognised – MOBO is unique in that respect. The organisationalso continues its social and cultural responsibility to motivate, elevate and celebrate creative talent and inspire future generations, in and out of music through the MOBO Trust and its brand partnerships.”

Nominations press release here.

Please support and share the love on socials with hashtags @MOBOAWARDS #MOBOAWARDS)

See you in Leeds!   Contact [email protected] if you would like to attend, or email [email protected] for media access.