The Guide Awards - your last chance to vote

The awards aim to highlight the best in the local arts world from throughout the past year, sponsored by Fry and Kent.

We will be presenting the awards on Monday, January 27, at the Kings Theatre, Southsea.

As well as the 13 categories below, we will also be presenting a Special Achievement Award, sponsored by Portsmouth City Council. You can vote online by clicking here.

The deadline for voting is midnight on Sunday, December 29, 2019. Next Thursday we will reveal who has made the shortlists in each category and how to get your hands on the free tickets for the awards night.• Please note: voting in the film category, which is run by Portsmouth Film Society and Making Waves International Film Festival, has now closed.

A.BEST COMEDY SPONSORED BY PORTSMOUTH GUILDHALL1. Sunjai Arif: Took a new show, Which Princess Are You? to Edinburgh Fringe2. Hetty Austin: Co-founder of the Boutique Comedy Club.3. Dan Churchley: ‘Hampshire’s Houdini’, his blend of comedy, magic and escapology has continued winning fans as Solent Comedy’s MC.4. Nathan Eagle: Has continued gigging while also acting with the Broken Bricks production company.5. The Raymond and Mr Timpkins Revue: The scene veterans continue to entertain across the land with their distinctive double-act.6. Perry Reilly: As co-founder of PM Promotions, Perry MCs at The Dolphin, The Emporium in Southsea and Staggeringly Good bar.7. Graham Rice: Co-host of the Emergency Mixtape podcast with former Guide award-winner Joe Wells.8. Matt Roseblade: Regular MC for the Comedy at The Fat Fox nights.9. Jake Young: Runs the Comedy at The Alverbank night in Gosport.10. Readers’ Choice

B. BEST DJ1. Banksy: Runs Banksy and Dunn’s Drum and Bass show on The Fort Radio.2. Drift & Roll 3: The DJ duo have supported Annix, Dillinja, Shimon and Arcane together and hosted regular events across the city.3. Alex Dutton: Delight and PopWorld resident DJ playing consistently across the city in both pop music and alternative scenes.4. Luke Loud: Supported Wilkinson, Maztek, Noisia, Halogenix, Dillinja, Benny L, Gerra & Stone across the south and is a regular in the city.5. Monty Ozanne: Played often across the city at Outhouse, ResiDance and Zeal Movement and Love Amplified events.6. Pete Scathe: Long-running indie DJ with Connection at Zanzi, Rock Lobster at The Deco and Wolf Cub Club at The Edge of The Wedge.7. Soul Divide: Love Amplified brought Anime Edge and Dance, GW Harrison, Danny Howard, to Portsmouth and supported all of their acts.8. DJ Wheats: Headlined events across the city and is signed to various labels including Toolroom and Madtech.9. Will ChuMp: Twenty years of success with alternative night Delight, plus stints at Overboard at Fleet, Thank The Lord It’s Friday at LJR and Waster at Pryzm.10. Readers’ Choice

C.BEST BAND, SPONSORED BY THE WEDGEWOOD ROOMS1.Colour of The Jungle: A sold out Wedgewood Rooms gig and a Radio Solent takeover demonstrated their continued rise.2. Emiliyah and The MightyZ All Stars: Flying the flag for reggae in the region – a popular live act wherever they play.3. Emptifish: Released their debut album, Sonic Love, 35 years into their career, and four years into an increasingly lengthy Indian summer.4. Fake Empire: The three-piece have impressed wherever they play across the south, with their indie-rock consistently aiming for ‘epic’.5. Four Folds Law: Released a strong EP in time for one of the sweatiest shows of the summer at The Barn, Milton.6. Neverman: Former solo act Matt McGowan brought the band together, headlined at The Wedge, singles and an EP have followed.7. The Rems: Formed from three members of ’80s/90s Pompey music legends The Mild Mannered Janitors.8. The Stone Birds: Formed barely a year ago, they’ve got the swagger of youth backed with a persuasive live show.9. VCR: Won The Wedge’s Annual Showcase competition and the national Youth Music Original Track award at the Youth Music Awards.10. Readers’ Choice.

D.BEST SOLO ACT, SPONSORED BY BH LIVE1. Ban Summers: The welcome return to regular action of Edward Perry. His self-titled debut album of lo-fi soul picked up rave reviews.2. Tom Bryan: The former Shoot The Duke frontman began carving out a solo career, with numerous support and headline gigs.3. Evangeline: Sharp indie-pop from this teenager who is a graduate from the ranks of the Urban Vocal Group.4. Fugitive Orchestra: A busy year for the one-man band James Tattington, including gigs in Norway and released the single The Price of Doubt.5. Lily Garland: Helped establish the two-day Country on The Coast festival while working hard on new music which has been teased live.6. Alistair Goodwin: The singer-songwriter has been steadily building a following for his brand of acoustic roots.7. Megan Linford: The folk singer-songwriter sold out The Square Tower for the launch of her Spring single, and pushed forward with the Future Folk nights.8. Parv: The hip-hop artist had his song Bullet feature on Love Island and gained support from BBC Introducing for recent single Click.Share.9. Kayleigh Thomas: When not busy drumming for Bemis, or being frontwoman of The Effectors, Kayleigh has carved herself a promising solo niche.10. Readers’ Choice

E. BEST EVENT, SPONSORED BY VICTORIOUS FESTIVAL1. Comic Con: May the Fourth be with the largest event of its kind in the south, drawing thousands of sci-fi and fantasy fans to Portsmouth Guildhall.2. Darkfest: The annual creative and cultural festival exploring all things dark, supernatural, and sinister, including the ambitious transmedia project, Cursed City – Dark Tide.3. Dials Festival: The urban festival presented the best of new and up-and-coming acts, while also supporting mental health charity Solent Mind.4. D-Day 75 Commemorations: A weekend on Southsea Common remembering the heroes of D-Day, with period music, especially written music, a revival festival and the Red Arrows.5. Games Fest: Billeds the ultimate retro and board gaming festival celebrated 40 years of gaming, from Pong and Pac Man to Mario and Minecraft.6. Icebreaker: More than 100 unsigned bands from across the region played on 12 stages in Southsea over two days7. Portsmouth Festivities: Taking Twenty as its theme for the festivities’ 20th year, this 10-day fiesta staged its usual wide array of arts events8. South Central: Festival on King George V playing fields, featuring headliners Craig David, Boy George and Armand Van Helden.9. Wickham Festival: A strong line-up included Kiefer Sutherland in country-rock mode, as well as legends Graham Nash and Judy Collins.10. Readers’ Choice.

F. BEST PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTION1. The Butterfly Lion, CFT: A new stage adaptation by CFT’s writer-in-residence Anna Ledwich of Michael Morpurgo’s best-selling novel2. Hair, Kings Theatre: The ‘hippy’ musical took us back to the Age of Aquarius.3. Les Miserables, Mayflower Theatre: Cameron Mackintosh’s acclaimed production of Boublil and Schönberg’s blockbuster musical.4. Matilda The Musical, Mayflower: Roald Dahl’s story of the little girl with a vivid imagination who dares to take a stand.5. Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, Mayflower: The all-male take on the classic continues to have the crowds flocking to it.6. A Midsummer Nights Dream, New Theatre Royal: The Shit-Faced Shakespeare company’s unusual take on the comedy.7. The Mousetrap, Kings Theatre: The West End’s longest-running play returned to the provinces on its latest tour.8. Shadowlands, CFT: Hugh Bonneville starred as Narnia author CS Lewis, with Liz White as Joy Gresham, the woman he falls for.9. This Is My Family, CFT: James Nesbitt and Sheila Hancock provided the star power in this musical about a family holiday from hell.10. Readers’ Choice

G. BEST AMATEUR PRODUCTION, SPONSORED BY THE GAIETY BAR1. Black Coffee, by Fareham Musical Society at Ferneham Hall, Fareham: A murder mystery written by Agatha Christie for the stage, and starring her Belgian detective Hercule Poirot.2. The Deep Blue Sea, by Bench at The Spring Arts Centre, Havant: Despite the CFT staging Terence Rattigan’s 1952 masterpiece at the same time, the amateur company acquitted themselves more than admirably.3. A Double Helping of Sherlock, by Phoenix Players at Trinity Church Theatre, Southsea: The Man with the Twisted Lip and The Dying Detective served up contrasting takes of the famous detective early on and later in life.4. The King’s Speech, by CCADS at The Square Tower, Old Portsmouth: Telling the true story of King George VI, and how he overcame his stammer with the help of maverick Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue.5. People, by HumDrum at The Spring: One of Alan Bennett’s lesser-known works, about two elderly women who live in a large, dilapidated stately home.6. The Pride, by Bench at The Spring: A cast of four tell parallel stories occurring in 1958 and 2008 in Alexei Kaye Campbell’s challenging play.7. Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of The Baskervilles, by FMS at Ferneham Hall: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s deer-stalker-wearing creation tackles the murder of Sir Charles Baskerville.8. Spider’s Web, by HumDrum at The Spring: Our reviewer hailed the ‘uniformly excellent cast’ as they tried to untangle Christie’s web of lies.9. Towards Zero, by FMS at Ferneham Hall: The company bowed out from Ferneham Hall on a high before the venue’s refurb with this Christie adaptation.10. Readers’ Choice.

H.BEST AMATEUR MUSICAL, SPONSORED BY THE KINGS THEATRE1. Big Fish, by CCADS at The Station Theatre, Hayling Island: The heart-wrenching tale of the fraught relationship between Edward Bloom and his son Will2. Bugsy Malone, at the Kings Theatre, Southsea: Custard replaces bullets in this child-friendly version of a prohibition-era gangster story.3. Cats, by Stage One Youth Theatre at Ferneham Hall, Fareham: Our reviewer said ‘the future of local theatre seems assured in such capable hands.’4. Grease, by Portsmouth Players at The Kings: A trip back to Rydell High in the American 1950s with Danny and Sandy.5. Jesus Christ Superstar, by Portsmouth Players at the Kings: The company gave the show contemporary spin to bring it up to date.6. My Fair Lady, by CCADS at the Kings: Packed with classic songs and based on George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion.7. Oklahoma!, by South Downe Musical Society at Ferneham Hall: Not overshadowed by CFT’s staging of the same show earlier in the year.8. The Sound of Music, by SDMS at Ferneham Hall: Elena Richards proved her decision to return to the am-dram scene helped solve a problem like Maria in this sterling adaptation.9. South Pacific, by FMS at Ferneham Hall: It was the first production put on by the company at the venue, back in 1986, and it has become its last, for now.10. Readers’ Choice.

I. BEST AMATEUR ACTRESS1. Leigh Cunningham as Hester in Deep Blue Sea by Bench.2. Lauren Farnhill as Lady Dorothy Stacpoole in People by HumDrum.3. Sally Hartley as Mrs Bennett in Pride and Prejudice by Bench.4. Lauren Kempton as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady by CCADS5. Kerry McCrohon as Sandra Bloom in Big Fish by CCADS.6. Clare Plumridge as Nellie Forbush in South Pacific by FMS.7. Elena Reynolds as Maria in The Sound of Music SDMS.8. Claire Stevens as Inspector Lord in Spider’s Web by HumDrum.9. Helen Stoddart as Laurey in Oklahoma! by SDMS.10. Readers’ Choice

J.BEST AMATEUR ACTOR

1. Ben Counter as Sir Rowland Delahaye in Spider’s Web by HumDrum.

2. Jonathan Fost as King George VI in The King’s Speech by CCADS.

3. Charlie Frame as Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar by Portsmouth Players.

4. Craig Parker as Oliver in The Pride by Bench.

5. David Penrose as Miller in Deep Blue Sea by Bench.6. Matt Sackman as Jud in Oklahoma! by SDMS.7. Nick Scovell as Hercule Poirot in Black Coffee by FMS.

8. Ben Tanner as Freddie in Deep Blue Sea by Bench.9. Paul Tully as Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music by SDMS.10. Readers’ Choice

K. BEST CLASSICAL1. Jake Barlow: Recently stepped down as musical director of the St Richard Singers, but his dynamism and flamboyant style has re-energised the choir and.2. The Chichester Singers: For their performance of A Child of Our Time. The final movement will linger long in the memory.3. Karen Kingsley: For her unstinting support as piano accompanist to thousands of local schoolchildren and her involvement in the musical community in general.4. The Petersfield Orchestra: For their Russian Night concert as part of the Petersfield Music Festival.5. Portsmouth Baroque Choir: For their performance of Bach’s B minor mass. One of the most difficult works in the repertoire was performed to a very high standard.6. Portsmouth Choral Union: For introducing rarely-heard repertoire including Hummel’s The Crossing of the Red Sea.7. Portsmouth Light Orchestra’s Autumn Concert: Bugler’s Holiday was brilliantly played by the orchestra’s three trumpeters.8. The Renaissance Choir: For their latest CD, Stream of Life, featuring a commission from local composer, Ian Schofield9. Valentina Seferinova: For the pianist’s performance of Ravel’s piano concerto with the Solent Symphony Orchestra.10. Readers’ Choice

L. BEST ARTIST, SPONSORED BY ASPEX GALLERY 1.Bennett & McDermott: The duo produced an engaging participatory installation Twenty Years to mark Portsmouth Festivities’ anniversary.2. Peter Codling: He had a solo exhibition at Jack House Gallery and undertook a residency in the hermitage of Portsmouth Cathedral, producing the installation Soup of Souls.3. Sasha Damjanovic: Emerging artist and recent graduate of BA Illustration at the University of Portsmouth, Sasha is currently showing her work in the Platform Graduate Award 2019 at Aspex.4. Kevin Dean: Another central figure in the cultural life of the region, Kevin produced a beautiful body of work as Victorious Artist in Residence. 5. Foursandeights: Print collective Marie and Darren work out of Hotwalls Studios and are developing quite a reputation for their work, celebrating all things Pompey. 6. Heinrich & Palmer: Had an engaging video installation Wellspring commissioned by The Spring Arts & Heritage Centre, Havant, and on show to December 28, 2019. 7. Clarke Reynolds: Clarke has used the traumatic experience of losing his sight to reach a wider audience, His project Eye Sea Squares for Portsmouth Festivities reached hundreds.8 Kate Street: Visitors to Art Space Portsmouth have been treated to two engaging exhibitions which Kate co-curated, Heimweh and Allhallowtide.9. Debra Welch: Aspex Artist Associate Debra returned to do a residency at the gallery.10: Readers’ Choice

M. BEST FILM, WITH PORTSMOUTH FILM SOCIETY AND MAKING WAVES1. Delivery, dir Jon Small and Maxine Mason: A delivery driver attempts to post a parcel. The door is left wide open. Anybody could just walk in.2. Family Night, dir Caleb Johnston: A struggling couple, intent on saving their marriage, set aside one Saturday evening to reconnect as a family.3. Guilt, dir Annabel Bryant and Shenali Karunatilake: Asiri is weighed down with guilt after the loss of his wife, struggling to accept his current situation.4. Spit of a Common Man, dir Tim Faraday: Following a trench explosion, a mortally wounded young private talks about the futility of war with his veteran sergeant, who assures him that he will not die in vain.5. Stripped Bare, dir Harvey Coombes: A drama-packed short film about a young woman who is stripping behind her mum and abusive stepdad’s back to try to escape from them.6. The Loft, dir Dominic Grose: A woman eagerly awaits someone in her house. Yet her hopeful expectations are met by an horrific reality.