WELCOME TO THE Q AWARDS. Or, at least, welcome to some sort of inside view of how the whole shebang will unfold. Over the next three-plus months, in this very place, the exact winners of each of the awards will be speculated upon. Details of the hitherto top secret planning process will be revealed before your very eyes.

There will, too, be a sense of glee and one of frustration. And, in all probability, moments of rage and rancour out of all proportion to what is occuring, as the world’s musical stars - a body collectively as trustworthy and reliable as a rattlesnake - dilly and dally as to whether they can find the time in their busy schedules (ie, be arsed) to join us on the day. You'll be able to spot such times, as they will be accompanied by swearing.

Such is the Q Awards. I’m delighted to be your guide through them. And, should there be anything you simply must know about them between now and 8 October, then do holler. I’ll do my best to fill in whatever blanks there may be.

So, where are we as of now vis-à-vis the Q Awards 2007? Well, as of this minute, we have drawn up a list of famous - and not so famous - folk we'd very much like to give special merit awards to on the day. These are the awards decided strictly by Q, and therefore not even on first name terms with any democratic process. In years gone by, so many in number were the merit awards, there was the lingering suspicion that any musican who just happened to be passing the Q Awards venue on the day would be hauled off the street and bestowed with a golden Q for his/her troubles. But not this year, oh no. 2007 will have less of these type of awards (thereby making the ones that are awarded that bit more prestigous), and more of those decided by you, the people. May I congratulate you on your good taste, and dashing looks, right here and now.

Those on this prospective merit award list have supposedly been contacted via their 'people' and are even as we speak incredibly excited/damned keen/taking due care to consider your kind offer. Obviously, they are really doing no such thing, since the Awards are in October and no one in the music business will think or do anything about them until, ooh, mid-September at the earliest. But we keep up the pretence by ticking boxes and filing people who have not an inkling of any invite bearing their name under 'Likely', 'Not Likely' and 'You Really Are Having A Laugh' (wherein Bob Dylan has resided since the Awards began, and shows no signs of leaving).

More productively, we are booking the venue, formulating a PR plan (essentially: A/Liam Gallagher comes, insults someone, press go into a frenzy; or B/ Liam Gallagher goes to the zoo, we’d better do some work), and launching the voting drive for all the aforementioned awards that you, the people decide upon. Simply by picking up a copy of the new issue of Q (available 1 July from all reputable, and no doubt many that aren’t, newsagents) or indeed hot-footing it over to www.QAwards.co.uk, you can enter yourself into this splendid process.

Of the awards voted for by - yes - you, the people, the Best New Act category is an especially cheeky little number, with all manner of expectant, fresh-faced talent lining up to be contenders. Last year, Corinne Bailey Rae fought off the likes of Lily Allen, The Kooks and - yea Gods! - the Arctic Monkeys to claim the crown. This year, I’d strongly suspect the likes of the Twang, Klaxons, James Morrison, The Enemy, Pigeon Detectives and even The Good, The Bad And The Queen to be chief among peoples thoughts as of this minute. As the year progresses, Kate Nash, Gallows and others might yet make a late run to the shortlist.

But, were I betting man (which I'm not, since laying out considerable sums on the prospect of Afghan Whigs selling several million albums), I’d place Mika as the current front-runner and pre-race favourite. Life In Cartoon Motion is already one of the year's biggest selling albums; and love him or find him vaguely ludicrous, there’s no doubting he has charisma and chutzpah to burn. An impressive showing at Glastonbury won’t have done his cause any harm, either.

Of course, there will be those avidly reading this blog (hello, Mum) who will immediately think the Best New Act is done and dusted; that before any votes even arrive at the Q door I - and I alone - have determined that it shall be Mika who his feted on the day. Alas, no. If it were ever thus, Greg Dulli of the aforementioned Afghan Whigs would not have room on his mantlepiece for a solitary Christmas card, such would be the plethora of Q Awards filling it. This, patently, is not the case. Mika may win, he may not. As we have assuredly established by now, that’s for you to decide.

Same time, same place next week, then.

Paul Rees, editor, Q magazine.