The 2012 Arqiva Commercial Radio Awards are now open for entries.

This year’s awards will have a total of 28 categories, minus a “Digital Station of the Year” category, reflecting the changing face of the industry.

A new category, Radio Station Event of the Year, will judge anything from live music to sporting events, with strong and relevant links to the station’s core output.

The awards, organised by RadioCentre and now in their 17th year, celebrate achievement across the whole spectrum of commercial radio, from presenters and programming to advertising and marketing, bringing together the best of commercial radio. They are once again sponsored by Arqiva.

The Breakfast Show of the Year and Presenter of the Year, will be split into two categories – over 1 million TSA and under 1 million TSA, enabling stations to compete against similar sized peers.

PPL are sponsoring two categories, Most Played Artist and Breakthrough Artist, and RCS are sponsoring Programmer of the Year.

Andrew Harrison, chief executive of RadioCentre said: “The Awards are a landmark event on the commercial radio calendar, giving the whole industry a chance to get together to celebrate our strengths and successes. Last year we had some fabulous entries and we look forward to a similar high standard again this year.”

The closing date for entries is March 9th, with nominations announced in early May and the awards ceremony taking place in London on July 4th at the Westminster Bridge Park Plaza.

The full list of award categories for 2012

People Awards

Presenter of the Year (Under 1 Million TSA)
Presenter of the Year (Over1 Million TSA)
Programmer of the Year (sponsored by RCS)
Newcomer(s) of the Year (sponsored by Skillset)
Journalist or News Team of the Year (Ali Booker Memorial Award)

Station Awards

Station of the Year (<300,000 TSA)
Station of the Year (300,000 to 1Million TSA)
Station of the Year (1 Million + TSA)

Programming Awards

Breakfast Show of the Year (Under 1 Million TSA)
Breakfast Show of the Year (Over 1 Million TSA)
Feature(s) of the Year
Specialist Programme of the Year
Social Action Initiative
Station Imaging Award

Sales & Marketing Awards

Marketing Award
Radio Station Event of the Year
Local Sales Team of the Year
National Sales Team of the Year

Advertising Awards

Best Branded Content
Best Creative Campaign
Most Effective Campaign
Advertiser of the Year
Media Agency of the Year

General Awards

The PPL Most Played UK Artist on Commercial Radio
The PPL Breakthrough Artist of the Year
Schools Radio Award (sponsored by The Vision Charity)

Special Awards

Chairman’s/Lifetime Achievement Award
Gold Award