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Welcome to the launch of the 2010 Sussex Eco Awards, in association with The Argus.

People all over Sussex are working hard towards a greener, fairer, better world.

There are exciting schemes ranging from food projects and ecoschools, to transition town groups and thousands of grass roots campaigners.

The Sussex Eco Awards celebrates all these.

Starting today, the public can nominate their favourite green individuals, businesses and organisations for an award.

Later in the year, entrants will be scrutinised by a panel of judges including Thurstan Crockett, head of sustainability at Brighton and Hove City Council, and James Grugeon, campaign director of 10:10 Brighton and Hove and founder of LowCarbon Enterprise.

This will culminate in an awards ceremony at The Old Market in Hove on September 16, hosted by celebrity designer Oliver Heath and with entertainment from improvisation comedy troupe The Maydays.

The event is organised by awardwinning environmental Argus journalist Sarah Lewis-Hammond.

She says the Sussex Eco Awards are not just about handing out green gongs.

Instead they serve to recognise the time, effort and energy people have put into work that can be thankless, and often goes against the tide of convention.

Sarah said: "The 2008 Eco Awards was a really incredible and inspiring event.

Despite knowing who the winners were I still felt emotional when they were announced.

"Talking to the winners and seeing how buoyed they were shows how effective and important the evening was. My aim this year is to replicate that success."

The 2010 awards will have a distinctly digital feel. There is a dedicated website showing real time nominations and updates, regular social media updates and an interactive Google map of the locations of the nominees.

Organisers are looking at ways of giving the profits from the event back to the community.

Sarah said: "The whole idea is to celebrate the community so it makes sense to invest back in it.

"The awards are about providing a fun and simple way for everyone to get involved, meet people and find out more about eco stuff in their area."

The awards are sponsored by Legal & General, EcoCentric, Southern Water, Brighton and Hove City Council and 10:10.

Find out more at www.sussex ecoawards.org.uk.

Join the Facebook group at www.facebook.com/ecoawards or follow @sussexecoawards on Twitter.