OK mes amis, The Muddy Stilettos Awards 2016 have started – started I tell you! – and though I say it myself, they’re looking well foxy.

There are 30 essential lifestyle categories, designed to inform all aspects of your free time, including Best Destination Pub, Best Bookshop, Best Wine Store, Best Family Attraction, Best Local Producer, which includes drink companies, and Local non food/drink Producer which focuses on arts, crafts, design, beauty, and anything else cool that’s not edible. Know anyone or any business who fits that bill? Then you know what to do. Vote, vote, vote!

The aim of the Muddy Awards is to unearth the most unique, stylish, clever and brilliant businesses in Berkshire, with the help of the people really in the know. Oh now don’t be shy, yes, I mean you! That’s why the voting on Muddy is public. You frequent the pubs, visit the theatres, try the new beautician who’s just set up down the road, hear about the new gift shop that’s opening up or the fitness instructor who’s lifting buttocks all over the county (no, *sigh*, not literally, I believe that’s a criminal offence).

The 5 businesses in each category with the most reader votes will reach the Finals of the Awards. That’s when the famous Muddy cocktail glasses will come out with their five colour ‘mixers’ and changing percentages in real time as readers vote for their winner.

Many of the 30 Awards categories are niche, deliberately included to help the cool, small indie businesses who don’t get a look in during bigger, more traditional awards, so *please-please-beg-weep-please* take time to scroll through them and vote in as many categories as you can. It could make all the difference to a brilliant local business.

The Muddy Awards cost a big fat zero to enter or nominate – the only shelling out is by me for the food and drinks bill at the winnner’s event – and I try really superhard to help all winners gain the publicity they deserve. But I can’t do any of this without you. So please VOTE. Truly, it takes seconds.

You ready, people? Let’s do this!