Internet surfers and technology buffs are nominating their favourite websites for this year's Brighton and Hove Web Awards.

The annual awards, sponsored by The Argus, are one of the highlights of the Brighton Digital Festival, which has been running for nine years.

Websites must be related to Brighton in some way, either in terms of content or because the organisation behind them is from the area.

Categories include best business site, best charity site, best community site, best personal site, best local arts site and best personal blog.

Nigel's Eco Store, Kerb, the Ocean Rooms, Lounge Penguin, My Brighton and Hove, Brighton Waves and Hotel du Vin were among last year's winners.

Mark Walker, project manager at Sussex Community Internet Project (SCIP), which has run the awards since 2001, said: "This is a great way of celebrating what people from the city are doing online.

"Whether you're a business that has invested in an e-commerce website, a band with a great following on MySpace or a small charity with a great online community, the web awards are a fantastic opportunity to showcase your talent and receive recognition for all your hard work.

"The standard continues to improve year on year and shows how some of the best creative talent on the web comes from Brighton and Hove."

Winners in each category will be announced at an awards ceremony at the Sallis Benney Theatre in Brighton on November 15.

Nomination forms and further information can be found at www.brightonwebawards.co.uk. Nominations close on Friday, September 28.

The Brighton Digital Festival, the largest of its kind in Britain, showcases the talents of people working in the media, arts and technology.

Digital media agency Wired Sussex was launched in 2004 to raise the profile of computer artists, interactive designers, film makers, academics and technologists.

Brighton and Hove is one of Britain's leading centres for digital media and has a small army of web designers, animators, film makers and games developers.

Almost 1,500 companies fall into the "creative" category.

About half of those are directly involved in digital media.

Many are recognised as leaders in their field.

But because most work for very small companies or operate as sole traders, their achievements can often go unnoticed.