October 11, 2001 – Last week the finalists of the prestigious Shortlist Prize were announced, an award which recognizes artistic achievement in music. The finalists follow. A winner will be announced later this fall:

• Ryan Adams, "Heartbreaker" (Bloodshot)
• Air, "10,000 Hz. Legend" (Astralwerks)
• Bilal, "First Born Second" (Interscope)
• Nikka Costa, "Everybody Got Their Something" (Virgin)
• Dandy Warhols, "Thirteen Tales of Urban Bohemia" (Capitol)
• Jay Dee, "Welcome to Detroit" (Studio K7/BBE/Beat Generation)
• Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek, "Reflection Eternal" (Priority)
• Gorillaz, "Gorillaz" (Virgin)
• PJ Harvey, "Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea" (Island)
• Sigur Ros, "Agaetis Byrjun" (Fat Cat/PIAS)

The list of finalists was pared down from a group of 49 possible album releases, voted on by a panel made up of musicians (Beck, Lucinda Williams, Aimee Mann, Trent Reznor, Macy Gray, and the Roots' ?uestlove, Mos Def, Dave Grohl among them), writers, and music industry executives.

Albums released after June 30, 2000, were eligible, provided they did not sell more than 500,000 units. The winner will receive a $10,000 cash prize from Virgin Megastore. The music retailer will also make charitable contribution in the name of the winner to funds for the victims of the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington, D.C.

Shortlist founders say they designed the contest because "today's music has always sucked. Great music is all around us. But it's harder and harder to find." To find it they decided to "ask the people who would know." They created a panel which came up with a long list, then pared it down to a short list. Later this fall, they'll announce the winner.