It has become one of Huddersfield’s most inspiring and sparkling nights – and its stars are nominated by you.
Today we start the search for this year’s unsung heroes and heroines from across Kirklees and parts of Calderdale to honour them at the Examiner Community Awards which this year will be held in late May.
The glittering ceremony will be staged at the John Smith’s Stadium on Thursday, May 24, hosted by ITN newsreader Nina Hossain, who comes from Huddersfield.
Examiner editor Wayne Ankers said: “These will be our 19th annual awards. I saw the awards for the first time last year and was absolutely blown away by the experience. Anyone who has attended them over the years will tell you what an amazing night it is for everyone involved.
“It never ceases to amaze us the lengths people will go to support charities, carry out vital community work, show immense kindness to the old, disabled and vulnerable and achieve what is often seemingly impossible against all the odds.
“Then there is the town’s sporting prowess along with its phenomenal reputation for music and the arts.
“It’s not so much about who walks away with the trophy at the end of the evening. The awards are a tremendous way to showcase what is great about our circulation area and anyone shortlisted will be guaranteed publicity which can massively boost their charity, good cause or sports team.
“It only takes a few minutes to nominate so please take the time the time to nominate someone to give them the recognition they deserve.”
People now have a month to make their nominations with the deadline for entries on Friday, February 16.
The judges will then draw up a shortlist of three in each of the categories and each will be highlighted in the Examiner in the fortnight before the awards. All those shortlisted will be invited to the event and the winner will be revealed on the night.
The judges decide the winner of the final award, the Achievement Award, although readers are welcome to send in suggestions.
Finalists will be notified in March and you’ll be able to read all about them in the Examiner in May in the run-up to the awards.
For an entry form visit the website www.examinercommunityawards.co.uk , email awards@examiner.co.uk or call 01484 437702
Here are the categories
Friend of the Year
Do you have a friend who is always there when you need them? The friend of the year could be your neighbour, best friend, a colleague or relative, or someone who supports you.
Courage Award
The courage award will be made to anyone who has shown outstanding bravery which may range from a single heroic act through to battling against disability, illness or adversity.
Emergency Services Personality
Do you know a local 999 hero? This person should be someone who has given service beyond the call of duty, shown extreme courage at an incident, or dedicated a lifetime of service to their community.
Services to the Community Award
Do you know someone who has made a difference to your community? They may provide a much needed service or made your area a safer place to live. Whatever their achievement it will have had a positive effect on your community. This award is open to groups or individuals.
Young Personality sponsored by Simply Biz
Do you know a special young person who deserves to be recognised? If you have a friend or family member who has shown bravery and courage, carried out a heroic act, achieved success against all odds or dedicated themselves to a good cause then nominate them for this award.
Sports Personality
We are looking for Huddersfield’s outstanding sports personalities. The winner could be a household name that put Huddersfield on the sporting map or someone relatively unknown who is totally dedicated to their sport.
Sports Team of the Year sponsored by Longley Park Kia
Are you part of or do you manage a sports team that has achieved great things? The sports team of the year will be awarded to the team which has achieved outstanding long-term success, shown amazing improvement or beaten all the odds.
Arts Award
We are looking for those talented groups or individual performers or artists who demonstrate what a creative and artistic place Huddersfield is.
Services to Charity sponsored by The One17 Charitable Trust
Has someone you know dedicated themselves tirelessly to a charity? They may be someone who has raised a large amount of money, generated awareness for a cause or has been a selfless voluntary worker for a number of years. This award is open to groups or individuals.
Community Group of the Year sponsored by Bramleys
This award will honour the group that exemplifies what can be achieved when people work together with creativity and commitment to address the challenges they see around them or to seize the opportunity to do something differently in their local area.
Community Project of the Year, sponsored by Ramsdens Solicitors
Have you worked on or been a part of a community project that deserves wider recognition? You may have tidied up your local area or set up a project to provide support for local residents.
Community Event of the year
This is your chance to shout about your favourite event in Kirklees or the parts of Calderdale we cover such as Elland and Brighouse. This may be a regular event that you never miss or a one off event that was enjoyed by the whole community.
Achievement Award sponsored by Syngenta
The winner of the Achievement Award will be selected by our panel of judges and will be a person who has shown an outstanding contribution to Huddersfield by significantly enhancing the town’s reputation, building. If you would like to make a suggestion to the panel, please let us know.
Our overall sponsor once again is Huddersfield company Syngenta.
And here’s what they have to say about our award.
“Syngenta is very proud to continue our support of the 2018 Examiner Community Awards. The work we do at Syngenta helps farmers all over the world grow higher yields from their crops, providing greater choice of quality food at an affordable price. The Examiner Community Awards are a prestigious occasion to recognise the dedication and passion of our local champions.
“For our part, we continue to invest in our apprenticeship programme, providing employment opportunities for local people and we remain committed to keeping professional and skilled manufacturing jobs in Kirklees for many years to come. We work very hard to stay in touch with our local community and get involved wherever we can. Syngenta in Huddersfield recently opened a Community Science Lab for local schools and we are active in our community through our Employees Community Gift Scheme and our annual Connecting Communities events.
“We appeal to all community groups to nominate the people that they believe deserve recognition as champions in our communities.”
