The thing about these awards, inevitable given the group selected to decide, is that they are very self-referential, and relate closely to the "folk-scene". Which, given the claims that traditional folk music represents something deep in relation to community consciousness, can only be a pity.
   Maybe they should have special awards for acts/recordings/whatever which make an effort(or maybe even succeed?) in leaping over the ring-fence and land in dear old England(or possibly Britain, people never seem quite sure where these awards apply to). The Dubliners, for example, many years ago did this with "Dirty Old Town" and "The Wild Rover": like it or not(I did) they managed to do it. They did it, in the sense they made the music part of everyday life, not something for a folk festival, or perhaps a soundtrack for some documentary or drama set in Ye Olde Days.
   Perhaps the awards should be made by those who are NOT folk journalists, festival organisers or agents for folk acts.Then we might see some very interesting results.