New Statesman is running a competition to find a new music critic under the age of 30.

If you’ve ever wondered what good music criticism looks like, you might enjoy what the judges have to say about what they’re looking for, including this from Alex Ross:

“Perhaps the greatest challenge is to remain passionately engaged over the long term — not to become jaded, politely accepting, cynical, or, worst of all, nostalgic. To the end, critics must remain open to the possibility of being totally undone by what they hear.”

Isn’t that rather lovely?