The Barclaycard Mercury Prize '2013 Albums of the Year' will be revealed at 5.30pm on Wednesday 11 September 2013. The announcement, made by presenter and broadcaster Lauren Laverne, will be hosted by The Hospital Club in Covent Garden.

Dedicated television coverage of the event will be broadcast on Channel 4 at 12.10am on the night of Thursday 12 September. The 30-minute Albums of the Year Launch programme will be presented by Nick Grimshaw and feature live performances and interviews with the shortlisted artists.

The Launch will be followed by a series of exclusive one-off gigs featuring the shortlisted artists ahead of the Awards Show on Wednesday 30 October. Tickets for the 'Albums of the Year Live' events will be made available through competitions and a special ballot system developed in association with the Prize's title partner, Barclaycard and The Ticket Factory. Entry to the gigs will be free, although a donation of £10 will need to be made to War Child in order to secure each pair of tickets. Barclaycard will be matching all donations made using a Barclaycard.

The Prize recognises and celebrates music in the UK and has a reputation for highlighting both new talent and more established bands and artists. The shortlist of 12 'Albums of the Year' is chosen by an independent judging panel and provides a snapshot of the year in music, recognising artistic achievement across a range of music genres.

The overall winner of the 2013 Prize will be decided and announced at the Barclaycard Mercury Prize

Awards Show at the Roundhouse on Wednesday 30 October.