At the BBC Folk Awards (if amid all the scandal and screw-ups they manage the happen), the Horizon Award for relative newcomers in accordance with its trend of being a year behind, ought to single out Mawkin (who should have got it last year).

This is the only category I'm interested in really. But on the basis of album releases so far, I'll back Ruth's assessment of Martin Simpson's Prodigal Son as hard to beat for album of the year. Though there will, of course, be an avalanche of releases shortly for the benefit of Smoothops 'recommended list' for the attention-span-challenged jurors.

As for Best Traditional Track I'd imagine something from James Blunt, passed off as Napoleonic War officer-class ditty. Though I'd be interested to see something from the Olivier production of War Horse currently in rehearsal gets through . . . nominated for Best Original Song, preferably.