After last year’s inaugural ceremony the Association of Independent Music (AIM) awards are back for 2012.

AIM are the principal trade body working to promote and protect the UK’s independent music industry. Winners at last year’s event included SBTRKT (Independent Breakthrough Of The Year), Ninja Tune (Innovative Marketing Campaign Of The Year) and Outstanding Contribution To Music grandee Bjork. The Quietus point toward this year’s nominations, and there are aglut of interesting nods on the shortlist.

Rustie’s Glass Swords – already the recipient of the 2012 Guardian First Album Award – is nominated for Independent Album Of The Year, and will be competing against the likes of Liars’ WIXIW and Future Of The Left’s The Plot Against Common Sense. The somewhat nebulous Genre Spotlight Award, meanwhile, will pitch Lorn’s Ask The Dust against Wiley’s Evolve Or Be Extinct.

The Independent Label Of The Year category features three imprints covered by FACT TVs recent Hidden Depths series: Ninja Tune, Hyperdub and Hospital Records. Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder label is up for ‘Best Small Label’.

The winners will be revealed on October 29. The full list of nominees – including the picks for the splendid ‘Difficult Second Album’ category – is below.

Best Live Act (voted for by visitors to thefly.co.uk):
The Cribs
Dub Pistols
Enter Shikari
The Prodigy
Frank Turner

Independent Breakthrough Of The Year (in association with 7Digital):
Alabama Shakes
Alt-J
Django Django
Grimes
Poliça

Hardest Working Band Or Artist:
65daysofstatic
Cancer Bats
Enter Shikari
Frank Turner
Skinny Lister

Best Difficult Second Album:
Admiral Fallow – Tree Bursts In Snow
First Aid Kit – The Lion’s Roar
Speech Debelle – Freedom Of Speech
The Invisible – Rispah
The Skints – Part & Parcel

Independent Album Of The Year (In association with Bird & Bird):
Alabama Shakes – Boys & Girls
Enter Shikari – A Flash Flood Of Colour
Liars – WIXIW
Future Of The Left – The Plot Against Common Sense
Rustie – Glass Swords

Best Small Label (in association with Sound Performance):
Alcopop! Records
Black Butter Records
Brainfeeder
Pink Mist
Xtra Mile Recordings

Genre Spotlight Award:
Broadcaster Ft Peggy Seeger – Folksploitation
Lorn – Ask The Dust
Neil Cowley Trio – The Face Of Mount Molehill
Netsky – 2
Wiley – Evolve Or Be Extinct

Independent Entrepreneur Of The Year (in association with The Orchard):
Alex Di Savoia – Aardvark Records
Chris Goss / Tony Colman / Tom Kelsey – Hospital Records
Louis Barabbas – Debt Records
Sam Dyson – Distiller Records
Simon Raymonde – Bella Union

PPL Award For Most Played Independent Act:
Adele
Arctic Monkeys
Caro Emerald
Madness
Travis

Special Catalogue Release Of The Year:
Amon Tobin – Amon Tobin
Madness – A Guided Tour Of Madness
Can – The Lost Tapes
The 13th Floor Elevators – Music Of The Spheres
Various Artists – The Original Sound Of Cumbia

Independent Label Of The Year (in association with EDC):
4ad
Bella Union
Hospital Records
Hyperdub
Ninja Tune

Indie Champion Award:
Olli Dutton – Obscene Strategies
Ian Evans – IME Music
Steve Lamacq – BBC 6 Music
Katie Parsons – Kerrang!
Shell Zenner – Amazing Radio

Best Independent Festival (voted for by visitors to thisisfakediy.com):
In The Woods Festival
Truck Festival
Y Not Festival
Leefest
Bearded Theory