QYPE*

Who are your local heroes?

The Hidden Gem Arwards are a chance for you to recognise and reward all those places you love. The shops that make your life easier, the people who make your day better, and those secret hideaways that you couldn't live without.

How do I nominate my hidden gems?

To put your favourite place up for an award take a look at the categories below and just attach the relevant tags to the place on Qype or tell us about them in the Hidden Gems group.
You can nominate as many places as you like, and if the business you want to nominate isn't already on Qype then you can just add it here). Dont forget to use your review to tell us why your favourite place deserves an award!

Over the next couple of weeks we'll count up all the nominations and compile a shortlist for all the categories so you can vote for your favourites. Then comes the exciting bit: a glitzy awards ceremony to be held in London later this year!

So start thinking about the best places you know, the ones you go back to again and again and start nominating!

The Categories

Most kid friendly place Tag it with: ‘kid friendly’

Anywhere that welcomes the little ones (and we don’t mean Hobbits). Whether it’s a fantastic adventure playground, a restaurant that doesn’t turn its nose up at the nippers, or a shop with a cracking crèche.

Best place for a Sunday roast. Tag it with: ‘sunday roast’

It’s Sunday, you’re too hung over to attempt a roast yourself and your mum lives miles away. Who do you turn to? Who does the best roasties, the greatest gravy, and rhubarb crumble and custard to die for?

Best place to laze away a sunny afternoon Tag it with: 'sunny afternoon’

Yes, we nicked this one from the Kinks, but Ray Davies knew what he was talking about. If you’ve got a favourite secluded sanctuary, a beautiful beer garden, or even just a bench with a breathtaking view, we want to know about it.

Your local hero Tag it with: ‘local hero’

More often than not it’s the people who make the place, so this award is for those unsung champions who you couldn’t live without. Who’s the shopkeeper, the hairdresser, the barman, the waitress or the lollipop lady who makes your day?

Best place you can still smoke Tag it with: ‘still smoke’

On July 1st 2007 finding somewhere to enjoy a sneaky smoke became a whole lot harder, but there’s still a few precious spots left where you can enjoy a ciggy in comfort. So where are they?!

Most useful place in your address book Tag it with: ‘useful’

Whether it’s the plumber who will come out the same day, the café that knows how you like your eggs, the bookshop with the best selection, or classiest tailor in town. We want to know who takes pride of place in your little black book.

2008 Hidden Gem Award Tag it with: ‘hidden gem’

The big one. Quite simply the best local, independent business in the UK. Any of the businesses nominated in the other categories can go up for this award but if there's somewhere that doesn't fit into those categories that you think is especially awesome then here's where you make sure they get recognised.