Now in their eighth year, the Awards are for all organisations involved in commissioning or delivering innovative public services, whether they sit in the public, private or voluntary sectors.
David Brindle, the Guardian's Public Services Editor, said: "It's easy to get morose about prospects for our public services, such is the scale and pace of the austerity programme being forced upon them. And it's true that some excellent and vitally important services are being cut, often through poor decision-making. But beneath the surface, the reality is that countless inspiring and innovative services continue to flourish. Our varied awards aim to showcase that, and never before has excellence of contribution, by team or individual, been more worth celebrating."
The awards fall into three main sections:
The Service Delivery section is made up of the following categories:
• Children & young people
• Complex needs
• Carers, families & communities
• Care of older people
• Housing & regeneration
• Transport & mobility
The Innovation and Progress section is made up of the following categories:
• Sustainability
• Transformation
• Customer service
• Partnership working
• Diversity & equality
• Skills development
The Special Awards are:
• The Citizenship & volunteering award
• The Guardian Public Servant of the Year award
• The overall winner
Last year's winning projects included Britain's greenest hospital in Manchester, a mobile youth club in Sunderland that has had a dramatic effect on anti-social behaviour, and a scheme in Edinburgh that trains housing staff in high-rise blocks to look out for residents who may be depressed or becoming suicidal.
The closing date for applications is 15 July 2011.
The winners will be announced in November at an awards ceremony in central London.
