Another year, another Mercury prize and more controversy. Each year we all get a little bit more excited, then a little bit more baffled and then a little bit more angry at the prize. Mainly because we don’t know much about it.

The winner is decided in a secret voting system by industry experts. Betting plays a huge part in the event and no one is really sure what the criteria are. James Blake won this year’s award after being an incredibly longshot at 32/1, with Laura Mvula, Bowie or Foals tipped to take the big one. To clear things up, let’s suggest 3 ways the award could better itself.

1) Firstly, we need to know what the criteria are. Often the award has been accused of shortlisting a ‘token’ jazz album, a ‘token’ folk album and a whole host of albums no one has heard of or hasn’t made significant waves in music the last 12 months. But then people say the award is too commercial and chart success is deemed to be too much of a factor in picking the winner. Solution: make the criteria clearer; perhaps have some kind of fan vote? Actually scrap that, no one wants to see One Direction, Union J or The Wanted picking the prize up (yeah, they’re names are quite indicative of their music. Shit).

2) Who is voting? No one actually knows who the voters are until after the award is announced. It has led to complaints from the public who claim that the type of voters will heavily influence the eventual winner. Dance and Metal fans claim their genres are shunned by judges and the rising cost of entries for labels who know their record is likely to be ignored by the panel, could become unsustainable. Although the judges are happy their vote is anonymous (bribery, harassment, violence) it wouldn’t hurt the award to be more transparent.

3) Stop Betting. The award is often one of the bookies favourites with odds fluctuating and lots of money flowing in on betting on the award. And that’s maybe the problem with the award. Everyone acts so surprised when Blake won the other night but that’s only because the bookies feel he’s least favourite. So if the bookies know who is likely to win, surely that damages the integrity of the award? Not only that, but the judges are likely to be swayed by conforming their vote to the ‘favourite’? Oh and I lost money so there’s that too.

What do you think? Did Blake deserve it? Is the award worth it? Comment here or tweet me here. Below is a stream of each of the Mercury Prize nominees.