Welcome to the website of the Pride in Bedford awards 2010, brought to you by the Times & Citizen and Costa.

The awards aim to salute the outstanding individuals and amazing organisations working so hard to make Bedford a special place. They might be unsung heroes or established stars in their specialised fields. They might be young people making a difference with their energy and enthusiasm or people who have put in years of sterling service.

There are awards for individuals and groups, for people working in the public sector and for companies which play an important part in their community. We know the judges will have a difficult job choosing between the many outstanding nominations they expect to receive - but we want you to make their job even harder.

You can nominate yourself or your organisation for one of the awards, or you can nominate somebody else - it's up to you.

The entry process is simple. All you have to do is follow the links on the left hand side of this page to find out all about the categories, what the judges will be looking for, and how to cover all the bases with your entry. Please give the judges as much information as possible to help them make up their minds.

The awards will be presented at a fabulous gala event at the Park Inn Bedford on Tuesday 7th September. It's sure to be a fantastic night celebrating all that's best about Bedford , which will give some very special people and organisations a well-deserved pat on the back.

But we need your help, and your nominations, to make that happen - so please take the time to make a nomination now. The closing date for entries is Friday 13th August.