t David has in a way answered Paul's question!

If the radio 2 folk awards didn't exist, people like Chris Evans wouldn't be able to go along and get introduced to a type of music they might otherwise have dismissed.

Stop thinking about these kind of awards ceremonies as LITERALLY adjudicating who is BEST. I doubt the judges do, I doubt the musicians do, I doubt the majority of the public does. If they did, well, they really ought to get out more.

Think of them for what they are - a platform, a showcase, probably the closest thing the folk scene gets to exposure on an X Factor type level. An excuse for sneaking some folk stuff onto a bigger stage.

Personally, the recipients of those awards coincide in absolutely no way with my own listening. (With the exceptions of Kirkpatrick and Gaughan.)

But I'm happy the awards are there. It means both the winners and the nominees get a bit of much-needed and deserved exposure beyond their folk constituency. It means they're not just preaching to the converted.

It means people might wonder what the Magpie's Nest is, check out the website and go to some of their (usually excellent) gigs.