The Prog Awards (hosted by Prog Magazine) has been going on for some time now and aims to bring recognition to artists that play progressive music.  This year, the competition was a bit heated with artists like Pink Floyd, Steven Wilson, King Crimson, Rush, and Opeth going toe-to-toe. Who came out on top? 

There are 7 reader-voted categories. These are:

Limelight 

  • Heights (Winner!)
  • A Formal Horse
  • Bend Sinister
  • Dream The Electric Sleep
  • Fuzzy Nautilus
  • Maybeshewill
  • MoeTar
  • Perfect Beings
  • Sumer
  • The Physics House Band

Live Event

  • Marillion Weekend (Winner!)
  • Anathema – Cathedral Tour
  • Cropredy 2014
  • Devin Townsend – Live at the Royal Albert Hall
  • Muse – Live At Download
  • HRH Prog 3
  • Kate Bush – Before The Dawn Tour
  • King Crimson – US Tour
  • RoSFest 2015
  • The Enid Present: The Bridge

Vangard (Previously known as Breakthrough Artist)

  • Purson (Winner!)
  • And So I Watch You From Afar
  • iamthemorning
  • Lonely Robot
  • Native Construct
  • Nordic Giants
  • Public Service Broadcasting
  • Soen
  • Sólstafir
  • Trojan Horse

Anthem

  • Public Service Broadcasting – Gagarin (from The Race For Space) (Winner!)
  • Big Big Train – Wassail (from Wassail EP)
  • Christina Booth – The Light (from The Light)
  • Dave Kerzner – Stranded (from New World)
  • John Lodge – In My Mind (from 10,000 Light Years Ago)
  • Mew – Satellites (from +-)
  • Steve Hackett – Love Song To A Vampire (from Wolflight)
  • Tin Spirits – Summer Now (from Scorch)
  • Vennart – Operate (from The Demon Joke)
  • Von Hertzen Brothers – Hold Me Up (from New Day Rising)

The Storm Thorgerson Grand Design Award

  • Steven Wilson – Hand.Cannot.Erase. (Winner!)
  • Anthony Phillips – Harvest Of The Heart
  • Bill Nelson – Noise Candy
  • Hawkwind – This Is Your Captain Speaking…
  • Jethro Tull – Minstrel In The Gallery
  • King Crimson – Starless
  • Pink Floyd – The Endless River
  • Rush – R40
  • Soft Machine – Live In 1970
  • Yes – Progeny: Seven Shows From Seventy-Two

Album of the Year

  • Steven Wilson – Hand.Cannot.Erase. (Winner!)
  • Amplifier – Mystoria
  • Beardfish – +4626 comfortzone
  • Flying Colors – Second Nature
  • Nightwish – Endless Forms Most Beautiful
  • Opeth – Pale Communion
  • Pink Floyd – The Endless River
  • Periphery – Juggernaut
  • Sweet Billy Pilgrim – Motorcade Amnesiacs
  • The Pineapple Thief – Magnolia

Band/Artist of the Year

  • Opeth (Winner!)
  • Between The Buried & Me
  • Flying Colors
  • Kate Bush
  • King Crimson
  • Pink Floyd
  • Steve Hackett
  • Steven Wilson
  • Threshold
  • Von Hertzen Brothers

The following winners were chosen by the critics behind Prog Magazine.

Commercial breakthrough:

Steven Wilson

Outer Limits:

Roy Wood

Virtuoso:

Danny Thompson

Guiding light:

Roger Dean

Visionary:

Holger Czukay/Be Bop Deluxe

Lifetime achievement:

Gentle Giant

Prog God:

Tony Banks

 

Steven Wilson came out on top with three wins, but overall this was a very good year for Progressive Music (especially with the creation of the Official Prog Charts) and more of the best to come!

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