The World Clash Dubplate Awards takes place on March 24 with artistes to be honoured in a number of categories by promoters Irish and Chin. Winners are decided by online voting.

“The objective of the World Clash Dubplate Awards is to create more visibility for the sound clash culture, and to recreate the camaraderie that existed between artistes and selectors,” Garfield “Chin” Bourne said in an interview with the Jamaica Observer.

Some of the categories and nominees are:

Dubplate Artiste of The Year:

Masicka, Govana, Rygin King, Teejay, Aidonia, Mavado and Shane O

Veteran Dubplate Deejay of The Year:

Josey Wales, Ninja Ford, Admiral Bailey, Burru Banton and U Roy

Veteran Dubplate Vocalist of The Year:

Barrington Levy, Freddie McGregor, Beres Hammond, Sanchez, Half Pint, The Mighty Diamonds, Johnny Osbourne

Dubplate Single of The Year:

Blood Money — Protoje, Tuff — Rygin King, They Don’t Know — Masicka, Up Top — Teejay,

One and Move — Govana, Stay So — Busy Signal, Touch Down — Stylo G, Medication — Damian and Stephen Marley

Female Dubplate Artiste of The Year:Etana, Koffee, Shenseea, Spice, Dovey Magnum and Ishawna

Male Dubplate Vocalist of The Year:

Romain Virgo, Chronixx, Stephen Marley, Jesse Royal, Christopher Martin

International Dubplate Artiste of The Year:

Big Mountain, Gappy Ranks, Stylo G, Protoje, Damian Marley, Stephen Marley

Best ’90s Dubplate Artiste of The Year:

Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Mad Cobra, Shabba Ranks, Spragga Benz, Capleton

Nominations are posted on www.irishandchin.com where voting also takes place. Since its inception three years ago, winners are announced during Irish and Chin’s Sound Chat Radio show, which is syndicated to over 30 markets in the United States.

Bourne hopes the event will one day be an awards function.

“Eventually, I would like it to be an actual event. For now, it is an online event, and as it continues to gain traction, we will have a formal event. This whole thing is a ‘sound’ man/selector-driven award. It is based on what ‘sound men’ and lovers of dubplate think,” he said.

According to Bourne, winners are ultimately presented with awards. Last year, he said there were as many as 60,000 votes in some categories. After the votes come in, they are tallied electronically and winners announced.