THE deadline for entries for the York Culture Awards 2016 is only two weeks away as competition hots up across York’s cultural sector.

Culminating in the award ceremony at the Central Methodist Church, York, on December 1, the new awards have been created to celebrate excellence in the city’s arts and culture sector.

Entrants so far include LGBT Pride, the New York Brass Band and a production entitled Dance Of The Seasons, performed by young dancers from the En Pointe Classical Dance School.

York star of stage and screen Mark Addy, patron of the York Culture Awards, said: "I’m thrilled to see such a wonderful variety of work being submitted; everything from dance, to music, theatre, writing and film. If you haven’t entered yet, I’d encourage anyone involved in the cultural sector in York to get involved. I wish the young dancers at En Pointe and everyone who has entered the very best of luck."

In Dance Of The Seasons, 140 dancers aged four and over took to the Joseph Rowntree Theatre stage on May 21 for a show choreographed by the professional teaching staff at En Pointe over ten weeks of preparation. The performance fused jazz and classical ballet to represent the seasons through themed creative music, lighting, costumes and dance choreography.

Donya Keys, the dance school's principal, said: "We're delighted to be part of the York Culture Awards. The theatre maxed out with every seat booked to watch the grand shows over the summer and it’s brilliant that we’ll have the opportunity to have this work recognised through this new awards ceremony for York."

Entrants submitted so far for the Community Projects section include Aspire To More, entered by the Speak Up Service, City of York Council; York LGBT Pride; Text, from the According To McGee gallery, curated by New Visuality, and The Arts Barge, from the Arts Barge Project.

In the Event or Festival category, submissions include Interfuse, from According To McGee, and the Late Music Festival, from York Late Music, while the Cultural Partnership nominees are Big Brave Bill, from Lazenby Brown and Ink Blot Films; the 2015-2016 pantomime, Dick Whittington And His Meerkat, from York Theatre Royal, and the verse play The Beggars Of York, from Stairwell Books, writer Don Walls, Tiny Window Theatre Company and York Theatre Royal.

The Film section has nominations for Spotlight Jonny Long and The Vale Skate Mag, from filmmaker Ben Porter, and York: The Original City Adventure, from by Hewitt & Walker. The Performing Artist award has attracted entries from Dance Of The Seasons, New York Brass Band and The Y Street Band.

The Production section features Dance Of The Seasons and Dick Whittington And His Meerkat; the Visual Artist category has a nomination for Emily Harvey's York Panorama, and the Writer section has entries from the Bev Jones Music Company for Bev Jones's musical Penny Millionaire; Oz Hardwick's The House Of Memory and Carole Bromley's The Stonegate Devil.

This new awards ceremony is sponsored by the York health and wellness provider, Benenden, whose group marketing director, Lawrence Christensen, said: "The variety of entrants so far is testament to the wealth of cultural activity happening right here in York. Benenden is proud to support its cultural sector and to be acknowledging the important role that culture plays in bringing our communities together."

Free to enter, there are 11 awards to be won for Culture Partnership; Community Project or Event; Cultural Champion; Cultural Education; Cultural Equality and Diversity; Cultural Event or Festival; Film; Performing Artist/s; Production, Visual Artist and Writer. Entries will be open until September 30 for cultural activity that has taken place between July 2015 and September 2016.

The awards will be judged by an independent panel comprising Professor Chris Bailey, York St John University; Dr Fiona Thompson, York St John University; Gill Greaves, relationship manager, Museums Yorkshire at Arts Council England; Colin Jackson, owner, Creative Learning Partnerships; Alan Millard, chief operating officer, Hiscox; Judith Buchanan, professor of film and literature, University of York, and Charles Hutchinson, arts editor, The Press.