The special guests performing live this year are The Hunna, Holding Absence, Heart of a Coward, Wargasm, Coldbones and HAWXX. Sophie K from Kerrang! Radio returns as host joined by her fellow radio presenter Jon Mahon. Amazon Music UK is the headline sponsor of the HMA20 along with returning sponsors EMP and Alianz Music Insurance, and Upset Magazine as media partner.

#HMA20 is going online!

Full, exclusive live performances by @THEHUNNABAND, @HoldingAbsence, @hoac_official, @thisiswargasmuk, @Coldbonesuk and @hawxxmusic.

Hosted by @KerrangRadio‘s @iamsophiek and @jonmahonn.

Get all the details here: https://t.co/778e4afWGG pic.twitter.com/0Gng27k727

— Heavy Music Awards (@heavymusicawds) August 17, 2020

Each year, a panel of  hundreds of industry specialists select the nominees for all categories, celebrating the best of the British and international heavy music scene, including bands, albums, producers, photographers and festivals. The final nominees are officially announced by the end of February for the public to vote online in the following months. Voters are usually entered into a prize draw for tickets for the live ceremony, which unfortunately will not take place this year due to the current restrictions.

Traditionally, an additional Young Photographer of the Year award is announced earlier when the rest of the finalists are reavealed. This year Dani Wilgress won the prize for his image of Yungblud at the O2 Academy Brixton after several thousand people voted in January.

Вижте тази публикация в Instagram.

This is surreal! Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to vote, share and just support my photography in general over the past few years! Your help has meant the world to me and I wouldn’t have won this without your incredible support. I would particularly like to thank my family and friends for always being there for me and believing me especially when I didn’t myself. Thank you ❤️

Публикация, споделена от Dani Willgress (@daniwillgressphotography) на Фев 5, 2020 в 1:12 PST

The Heavy Music Awards were first held in 2017 at the House of Vans and immediately became a favourite annual event followed by ceremonies at KOKO in Camden in 2018 and O2 Forum Kentish Town in 2019. The main award for best UK band was previously won by Bring Me The Horizon (2019), Architects (2018) and Black Sabbath (2017). Here is the full list of the 2020 nominees:

Best Album:
BABYMETAL – Metal Galaxy
Dinosaur Pile-Up – Celebrity Mansions
Sleep Token – Sundowning
Slipknot – We Are Not Your Kind
TOOL – Fear Inoculum
While She Sleeps – So What?

Best UK Band:
Architects
Bring Me The Horizon
Bury Tomorrow
Employed to Serve
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes
Venom Prison
While She Sleeps

Best International Band:
Fever 333
The Interrupters
Parkway Drive
Rammstein
Slipknot
Stray From The Path
TOOL

Best Live Band:
Amon Amarth
Behemoth
Brutus
Fever 333
Parkway Drive
Rammstein
Slipknot

Best UK Breakthrough Band:
Cold Years
Higher Power
Hot Milk
Ithaca
Lotus Eater
Nova Twins
Pengshui

Best International Breakthrough Band:
The Hu
Jesus Piece
Polaris
Simple Creatures
SKYND
Stand Atlantic
Thornhill

Best Album Artwork:
Baroness – Gold & Grey
Blood Incantation – Hidden History Of The Human Race
Bring Me The Horizon – amo
Cattle Decapitation – Death Atlas
Korn – The Nothing
Rammstein – Rammstein
Venom Prison – Samsara

Best Video:
Bring Me The Horizon – ‘In The Dark’
Creeper – ‘Born Cold’
Don Broco – ‘Action’
Enter Shikari – ‘Stop the Clocks’
Poppy ft. Fever 333 – ‘Scary Mask’
Rammstein – ‘Deutschland’
Slipknot – ‘Unsainted’

Best Festival:
2000 Trees
ArcTanGent
Bloodstock Open Air
Download Festival
Hellfest Open Air
Roadburn
Slam Dunk Festival

Best Photographer:
Sarah Louise Bennett
Corinne Cumming
Paul Harries
Jennifer McCord
Jake Owens
Sabrina Ramdoyal
Ester Segarra

Best Producer:
Carl Bown
Romesh Dodangoda
Greg Fidelman
Adam ‘Nolly’ Getgood
Larry Hibbitt
George Lever
Catherine Marks