The third annual esctoday.com awards are just a few weeks away, and this year, we're adding a twist! esctoday.com members will be given the chance to determine the nominations for each category.

The esctoday.com awards have already become an institution. In 2006, more than 17,000 votes were cast as Romania's Mihai Traistariu claimed the song of the year title for Tornero. Last year, more than 21,000 votes were registered as Maria Serifovic and Molitva claimed the tite of 2007 song of the year.

The awards give readers the chance to look back at the year that was, the Eurovision Song Contest performances, national finals and those that 'nearly' made it. Artists that participate in the competitions help to create the show that has become the longest running and most watched music competition in the world, and the esctoday.com awards give readers and fans the chance to show their appreciation one more time before the 2009 national finals season gets fully underway.

esctoday.com is the largest independent Eurovision Song Contest website, supported by fans for fans. We believe in giving a voice to the readers and fans of the best music competition in the world! After the huge success of the last two years, members will once again have the chance to vote on a series of awards covering the year of 2008.

In previous years, the website's ediors have acted as the jury that determines the final list of nominations. This year, we're adding our readers to that jury. We will be running polls to see who you think should be nominated, these votes will be considered as the jury determine the candidates for each award.

Over the next two weeks, we will run a series of polls for each category The esctoday.com team will then finalise the nominations and you, the fans of the Eurovision Song Contest, will be able to vote in the biggest awards programme for the competition.

Readers can of course also influence the final list of nominations by adding your views in the reactions section below. Our team of editors will be reading your opinions and including your views when compiling the final nominations lists.

To vote, you must be a registered esctoday.com member. Membership is free and allows you to vote in our online polls, react to articles and enter all competitions on the website. As a member, you can also subscribe to our newsletter. Click here to register.

The categories are:

EUROVISION SONG CONTEST 2008:
SONG OF THE YEAR
PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
LYRICIST OF THE YEAR
COMMENTATOR OF THE YEAR
VIDEO OF THE YEAR
BEST MALE PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
BEST BAND PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
BEST ENTRY NOT TO QUALIFY FROM THE SEMI FINAL
BEST DRESSED PERFORMER(S) OF THE YEAR
WORST DRESSED PERFORMER(S) OF THE YEAR

NATIONAL FINALS 2008:
BEST NATIONAL FINAL 2008
BEST NATIONAL FINAL PERFORMANCE (EXCLUDING WINNER) OF THE YEAR
BEST MALE PERFORMANCE NOT TO QUALIFY FOR EUROVISION
BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE NOT TO QUALIFY FOR EUROVISION
BEST BAND PERFORMANCE NOT TO QUALIFY FOR EUROVISION