The Best Book/Novel shortlist for the annual BT Ethnic Multicultural Media Awards (EMMA), set up to recognise ethnically diverse talent in the media, has been revealed.

In the eclectic list, veteran author Vikram Seth, nominated for An Equal Music, is joined by comedian and broadcaster Meera Syal for her second novel Life Isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee, crime writer Mike Phillips for A Shadow of Myself and Ben Arogundade for his controversial look at the black aesthetic, Black Beauty.

The shortlist now goes to the public vote, either by phone (0870 333 6133) or online.

As well as the Best Book category, there are awards in music, film, television and the print and broadcast media industries. There is also a Lifetime Achievement Award, which last year was won by Nelson Mandela.

The awards ceremony will take place on April 26 at the Grosvenor Park Hotel, to be screened by BBC2 on Saturday April 28. For a full list of awards visit the BT EMMA Awards website.

The shortlist

An Equal Music by Vikram Seth
Seth's third novel, set in Venice, Vienna and London, tells the story of a classical musician's consuming vocation and the rediscovery of his lost love.

Life Isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee by Meera Syal
This follow-up to the award-winning Anita and Me focuses on a trio of women from London's East End. Friends since school and tied by their Punjabi roots, they navigate the emotional rollercoaster of oncoming middle youth.

A Shadow of Myself by Mike Phillips
Crime writer Phillips returns with this tightly plotted thriller about a black documentary film-maker who meets a stranger claiming to be his brother and is propelled into a nightmare world of intrigue and murder.

Black Beauty by Ben Arogundade
British journalist and model Arogundade's lavishly illustrated book chronicles the ever-changing definition of black beauty within popular culture, from Muhammad Ali to Lil' Kim.