For five years, The Argus has given out Angel awards throughout May in recognition of truly exceptional performances and events during Brighton Festival and Fringe – rewarding talented new performers as well as established acts or individuals who continue to create work that both enthrals and delights.

2011 proved to be a vintage year, with the newspaper awarding Angels to everyone from tuba-wielding Romanians and psychopathic acid bath murderers to gardens of flame-filled spectacle and absurdist comic theatre.

With reviewers submitting more than 150 reviews throughout May, The Argus readers have also been able to vote for their favourite show via text or email.

With nods coming in to all manner of shows, talks and events, it was The M Boat – Eddie Alford’s tale about one man’s rite of passage aboard a barge delivering Guinness down Dublin’s Royal Canal – that garnered the most votes to win the Readers’ Choice Angel.

Combining live music, storytelling and humour, the local cast of Irish performers managed to recreate a slice of Irish life in the back room of The Eagle pub, with reader reviews commenting on the play’s “brilliant dialogue”, “wonderful songs” and “fabulous performances”.

“It’s beyond my wildest dreams. I really have to dedicate it to my company and Brighton Irish for having faith in me. I’d also like to thank all the audiences who came along – I really appreciate it,” says director and writer Alford.

“I’ve been writing since I was a kid – I did an MA in Creative Writing at the University Of Sussex about 12 years ago and they put me on the right route by saying ‘You’ve got to write comedy about Ireland, forget about the rest’. It’s the best piece of advice I got.”

This year’s Critics’ Choice Angel – chosen by the newspaper’s entertainments team – went to Otherplace Productions, thanks to their continued work as the programmers of Upstairs At Three And Ten and their excellence in directing and producing shows during Fringe festivals past and present.

“The Three And Ten hosted events throughout the day and night, ranging from serious drama to hilarious sketch comedy, to live acoustic music, as well as the stand-up they’re famous for,” explains entertainment reporter Duncan Hall.

“What made this year even more special was their involvement with Something Witty’s intense production of Dario Fo’s The Open Couple. It was a real gem of a performance. If anyone encompasses the spirit of the Fringe it’s Otherplace Productions.”

Nicola Haydn, co-founder of the company and director of The Open Couple, was delighted.

“I am thrilled to bits with the Angel. I’m extremely fortunate to have a fantastic team and together we do try our best to bring a great mix of high quality work down to the Fringe,” she says.

Jason Edge, Head of Marketing and Business Development for Mayo Wynne Baxter – sponsors of the Argus Angels – was equally delighted at the outpouring of creative talent across the city.

“As the largest law firm in Brighton we have long been associated with the city’s creative industries. Our involvement with the Festival and Fringe and the Argus Angel Awards allows us to show our support for what is, without a doubt,world-class artistic excellence here in Brighton and Hove.”

The final Angels awarded last weekend went to Janet Cardiff ’s Forty Part Motet installation at Fabrica, Joe Bone’s final instalment of the Bane trilogy and Kefi Chadwick’s Mathematics Of The Heart – recent winner of the 2011 New Writing South award.