Best Major Festival

Campsites that sprawl for miles, multiple arenas booming from noon until late, tens of thousands of people out for a good time and some of the biggest and best bands in the world. Major festivals may take a year to plan but organisers have only two or three days to get things exactly right. They are an annual must for any outdoor-loving music freak, but which giant was your favourite this year?

And the winner is

Best Medium Sized Festival

Festivals nominated for this award generally started life much smaller, but have evolved upwards from their original roots due to their popularity and success in filling a growing niche. With a unique identity, following, and intimacy, many outdoor music fans think middle-capacity festivals get the perfect blend of atmosphere and scale. But which one did the business this year?

And the winner is

Best Small Festival

Celebrating the organisers who proudly proclaim 'small is beautiful', this award is for the festivals that don't want to be anything but. With a sense of community that just cannot be rivalled by some of the bigger events, small festivals are arguably the friendliest, the quirkiest and the most involving of all, pushing both the boundaries and the senses. So which one, in particular, is perfectly formed?

And the winner is

Family Festival Award

Every year, there seem to be more and more children at festivals, with increasingly impressive areas and facilities for kids reflecting the rise. Games, workshops, kid zones and activities for youngsters all combine to make their weekend a memorable one - and often a much easier one for their mums and dads. Which festival was the most enjoyable for kids and parents this year?

And the winner is

Best Overseas Festival

Festivals overseas are becoming an increasingly popular choice for the British festival-goer. Events around the continents have carved their own niche by attracting the some of the biggest acts in the world while still providing a platform to showcase national talent. Warmer summers mean many festivals continue through the night leaving the day to explore the local area while others become temporary towns in their own right.

And the winner is

Best Dance Event

Evolving from a combination of acid house and raves, dance events are the features at festival dedicated solely to all aspects of the genre. So whether it’s a dubstep tent or a drum n bass arena, the dance event is the one place you’re bound to see people grooving. But which event proved the best this summer?

And the winner is

Best Metropolitan Festival

Growing in number, The Metropolitan Festival is an event for those who are averse to camping. These festivals use the existing live music structure of a town to put on a multi-venue event that is either sold on a show-by-show basis or as a one-wristband-for-all-concerts basis, either way the line-up is selected a single group of organisers passionate about bringing their favourite bands to a town. But which had you ditching the tent and opting for the high street instead?

And the winner is

The Grass Roots Festival Award

Often the best small festivals spring from an organic labour of love and a long-time dream which has been shared by thousands more. These festivals should be celebrated, not just for the courage and vision shown by their organisers, but also because they never forget where they've come from, supporting their local communities and new music along the way whilst retaining an independent spirit and resisting commercial saturation.

And the winner is

The Greener Festival Award

The Red Kite mark is awarded by www.agreenerfestival.com on the basis of a questionnaire and where possible an environmental assessment. All festivals must demonstrate that they have coherent green policies promoting environmental efficiency and sustainability, including issues such as CO2 emissions, waste management and recycling. The following events are leading the charge but which is the Greenest of them all?

And the winner is

Best New Festival

Once again, a handful of cracking new festivals cropped up this year, bravely going into the unknown and pitting themselves up against more established events. The emergence of new festivals provides the lifeblood of the live music calendar, bringing new music, fresh ideas and alternative audiences to the summer scene. Which one have you already marked in your calendar for next year?

And the winner is

Best Toilets

Whether it’s the pongy portable loos, the lingering longdrops or the unpleasant urinals, all festival toilets tang, but some stink more than others. But which festival boasted the cleanest cans and the best ratio of toilets to person?

And the winner is

Best Headline Performance

Albums can define a band but festival headline sets can define a generation. They can be the pinnacle of an act’s lifespan, carving them an illustrious career or they can reignite a revival from a dormant band. To succeed they must exude an extensive appeal, capture a crowd of thousands to include every single one and deliver a colossal performance. Some of the acts may have played more than one festival, but at which show did they tick the most boxes?

And the winner is

Virtual Festivals Critics' Choice Award

This award is designed to celebrate those special acts who added something a little extra to their festival show. It could be comedy, nostalgia, crowd interaction or just that 'secret ingredient' - basically something that sets them apart from other performers as a real crowd pleaser.

And the winner is

Best Breakthrough Artist

Once again the festival circuit has been inundated with a host of new acts making their debut on the scene as well as bands that have been plugging away at their trade for years that have finally managed to make their mark on the festival calendar. The Best Breakthrough Artist award celebrates the bands that have finally made critics and festival audiences stand up and notice, but which emerging act shone the brightest this summer?

And the winner is

Anthem of the Year

The ultimate test of any song is how it's received live - and there's no better place than at festivals. While thousands of great records have been lapped up by millions over the summer, a few stood at as true classics, proved defining festival moments and been sung all the way back to the campsite. Which was your fave?

And the winner is

Most Memorable Moment

The UK Festival Awards have teamed up with Muzu.tv, the music video site, to give you the chance to pick up a gong at the UK Festival Awards by retelling your personal festival highlights of 2009 on video, or uploading the special moment itself directly to the site. The winning video, judged by our panel of experts, will be shown at the Awards with the handy cameraman given the red carpet treatment at the gala ceremony at the O2 in London on 19 November with £200 spending money thrown in as well!

Enter now at
www.muzu.tv/ukfestivalawards

And the winner is

Best Fan Photo

The UK Festival Awards have teamed up with Festival Annual - the world's first user-generated festival photo book - to give budding amateur photographers the chance to pick up their own gong at the awards! Judged by a panel of leading picture editors, the winning photographer will receive their very own UK Festival Award, a pair of tickets to the award ceremony and will spend a day working with Press Association’s Yui Mok at a host of entertainment events. The additional nine runners up will each receive a pair of tickets to the awards and all ten of the winning/runner up images will be exhibited at the UK Festival Conference during the day.

Upload your photo now to
www.myspace.com/festivalannual

And the winner is

Festival Fitty of the Year - Boys

3am.co.uk, the UK's funniest, cheekiest celebrity gossip site, has picked 10 of the hottest performers on the festival circuit. But who is the fittest of them all?

And the winner is

Festival Fitty of the Year - Girls

Mirror.co.uk has picked 10 of the hottest performers on the festival circuit. But who is the fittest of them all?

And the winner is

Best Sponsor Activation

And the winner is

Line-up of the year

The UK festival industry is strong enough to attract the best bands and artists from around the world, leaving the majors to fight it out for the very best crowd pullers. But festivals are all about creative programming and strength in depth, and much of their appeal can be found in the bands further down the bill. Remember, festivals book many of their artists early in the new year. Which one had the vision to get the balance just right based on their resources?

And the winner is

The Lifetime Achievement Award

Dedicated to an individual whose personal vision and energy has propelled the entire festival industry forwards in a dynamic, creative and positive way.

And the winner is