It is time to nominate local sporting heroes for the 23rd annual Nottinghamshire Sports Awards.

The annual awards seek to recognise achievements at both a grassroots level and in professional sport across the county in recent months. The closing date for nominations is Sunday, 30 November.

The awards will be presented during a ceremony on Wednesday, 4 February at the Nottingham Conference Centre with more than 400 invited guests expected to attend the event.

Sporting highlights over the last year include the many medals won by various Nottinghamshire athletes at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, Nottinghamshire Ladies T20 success at finals day, Nottingham Panthers retaining the Challenge Cup and Ellie Downie’s recent success at the Youth Olympics.

Councillor John Knight, Committee Chairman for Culture, at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “We are very pleased to once again seek nominations for the annual Nottinghamshire Sports Awards. The nominations provide everyone with a chance to highlight examples of great work and sporting achievement across the county. The awards night is always a great occasion to celebrate our sporting talent and excellence in Nottinghamshire.”

Simon Starr, Director of Sport Nottinghamshire, said: “The Sports Awards are a fantastic opportunity for Nottinghamshire to recognise and acknowledge the wonderful talent and level of commitment we have within the county. Previous awards have demonstrated what a strong sporting pedigree we have from our volunteers, coaches, teams and individuals.”

In total, 14 categories are open for nominations from individuals or clubs. Five categories are dedicated to recognising the talents and achievements of young people.

The full list of categories is: Junior Team, Junior Volunteer, Junior Disabled Sportsperson, Junior Sportsperson, Young Coach, Team, Volunteer, Disabled Sportsperson, Sportsperson, Performance Coach, Community Coach, Club, Sporting School of the Year.

For all these categories the qualifying period is 1 December 2013 to 30 November 2014.

The final category is the Roll of Honour which recognises Nottinghamshire residents who have devoted their lives to sport in the County (no time frame is placed on this category).

Last year’s award winners included – Nottingham Panthers (Team of the Year), Ollie Hynd (Disabled Sportsperson of the Year), Collingham Tennis Club (Club of the Year), Elise Christie (Sportsperson) and Ellie Downie (Junior Sportsperson).

The closing date for nominations is Sunday 30 November. For more details and to make a nomination, please visit the Nottinghamshire County Council website: www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/sport

Pictured are Penny Briscoe, Councillor John Knight, Committee Chairman for Culture, Nottinghamshire County Council, and OllieHynd, Disabled Sportsperson of the Year