In order to be considered for the Meteor Choice Music Prize Irish Album of the Year, a release must meet ALL the following conditions -
- All albums nominated for the Meteor Choice Music Prize must have been released for the very first time in Ireland during the year in question. This means that the album must have made available to the general public (for purchase or given away for free in shops, at gigs or on websites) for the very first time in Ireland (ie Republic of Ireland and/or Northern Ireland) between January 1 and December 31 in the given year.
- Re-issues, multi-artist compilations, live albums and artist Best Of collections are not eligible for nomination.
- The albums nominated can be from any genre imaginable.
- The artist(s) in question must have been born in Ireland (ie Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland) and/or hold an Irish passport. Bands are eligible to be nominated if the majority of the band members were born in Ireland (ie Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland) and/or hold an Irish passport.
- For the purposes of the Meteor Choice Music Prize, an album must contain either six or more tracks and be over 33 mins, 20 seconds in length OR a minimum of 9 separate tracks AND a minimum of 25 minutes of music.
Please note that there is NO formal application process for the Meteor Choice Music Prize. Once an album meets the above criteria, it is eligible to be considered by the judges for selection.