Shepard’s design for New Tales To Tell: A Tribute To Love And Rockets has been nominated for a Best Art Vinyl award and it is actually one of the lead images for the award!

Voting is now open as Art Vinyl launches the Best Art Vinyl search for the most exciting record sleeves of 2009. This year will see music and graphic artists competing to follow in the footsteps of Hard-Fi, The Cribs, Thom Yorke and last year’s winner, Fleet Foxes. The 2009 nominations can be viewed here: http://www.artvinyl.com/en/nominate/nominations.html.

(See below for instructions to download the nominations)

Art Vinyl, alongside graphic design and music industry experts, has selected a shortlist of 50 sleeve designs for the award that will be will be celebrated in exhibitions in London and around the UK during November and December.

Previous winners of the award include Hard-Fi’s stark ‘Stars of CCTV’ in 2005, Thom Yorke’s ‘The Eraser’ in 2006, The Cribs ‘Man’s Needs, Woman’s Needs, Whatever’ in 2007 and last year the winner was Fleet Foxes’ eponymous first album, which won with more than 3,000 public votes.

Art Vinyl founder and managing director Andrew Heeps said, “We are once again championing the art of the record sleeve. The Best Art Vinyl poll now in its 5th year has provided a unique snap shot of popular art and design and this year will be no exception. The Art Vinyl award is about celebrating the emotional resonance of the best sleeve designs from 2009 and honouring some of those unsung hero’s of art and design who provide the visual identity for so many bands and artists”

The Best Art Vinyl 2009 shortlist will be featured in exhibitions at the Art Vinyl Gallery at Selfridges on Oxford St, London, the Snap Galleries in Birmingham, and the Georges House Gallery in Folkestone. All of the designs will be displayed in the unique Art Vinyl Play & Display Flip Frame. The winning designs will be displayed from January 2010 at Rough Trade East, London, Snap Galleries, Birmingham, and Georges House Gallery, Folkestone.

Voting closes 16th December 2009 on www.artvinyl.com and the winners will be announced on 5th January 2010. Please indicate if you require the details of winners prior to the national press announcement.