Billboard and Chevrolet Team Up

Billboard and Chevrolet are teaming up to celebrate the ingenuity of this year's hitmakers with the new Milestone Award at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards on Sunday, May 19. Fans can vote for their favorite Milestone artist online and enter a contest to win an opportunity to present the award live at this year’s event alongside Cee Lo Green.

The newly announced editorial award will go to an innovative artist that achieved a notable chart milestone over the past year. The six finalists for the 2013 Milestone Award presented by Chevrolet were announced today on Billboard.com -- they are: Justin Bieber, The Band Perry, Miguel, Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars and Pitbull.

Voting is now open on Billboard.com/milestone. The six finalists will be narrowed down to three finalists, who will be unveiled on the website in mid-April. Voting will then continue all the way through the live Billboard Music Awards broadcast, culminating with the announcement of the award winner toward the end of the show.

"The addition of the Milestone Award gives us the opportunity to recognize truly creative artists that are breaking boundaries with their contribution to today's musical landscape," said Bill Werde, editorial director, Billboard. “These awards are for artists who have created music and accomplishments that are part of history. It's an honor to work with a historic brand like Chevrolet to bring them into focus as part of this year’s Billboard Music Awards."

“This is a perfect opportunity for Chevrolet to bring together two important pieces of its history, ingenuity and music,” said Chris Perry, vice president, Chevrolet Marketing. “The innovation in music today is represented by the nominees for this year’s Milestone Award.”

Fans also have the opportunity to enter a contest on Billboard.com/milestone to win the chance to present the Milestone Award live on the 2013 BillboardMusic Awards alongside Cee Lo Green, two tickets to the show, hotel accommodations and airfare. To enter, fans must submit a photo along with an essay about why they think they should present the award. Additional details are available on Billboard.com/milestone -- the deadline for entry consideration is April 26.

The 2013 Billboard Music Awards will broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, May 19 at 8/7c on ABC.

- Courtesy of Billboard.com