NOMINATIONS to decide who will make the shortlist for West Fife's sporting 'Oscars' will close next week.

The Dunfermline and West Fife Sports Council awards for 2016 will be held next month and voting to decide who will be in with a chance to win one of the 10 prizes on offer, including Sports Personality of the Year, will finish on Monday.

The annual awards, first held in 1978, celebrate the very best of talented sportsmen and women in West Fife and the top accolade is presented to the outstanding sports person in the area during the past 12 months.

Last year's recipient was Hillend swim star Tain Bruce, who claimed the prize for a second successive year after an outstanding 12 months in the pool, which included becoming a double British age group champion in the 50 metres and 100m butterfly.

Previous winners of the prestigious accolade include Pitreavie AAC 400m hurdler Eilidh Doyle, who claimed an Olympic bronze medal in the 4x400m relay at Rio 2016, fellow athletes Gemma Nicol and Linsey MacDonald, and the late badminton star Russell Hogg.

Other prizes that will be handed out include the Asda St Leonard’s Trophy, which is awarded to a young person aged 16 and under who has has shown qualities of endeavour in sport and whose standard of performance has improved in the year, and the Rotary Club of Dunfermline Junior Team of the Year award for under-16s and the Benny Hutton Team Award for an over-16 team.

The Carnegie Dunfermline Trust Centenary Masters Award recognises the outstanding male or female athlete aged 35 or over, while the East Kilbride Sports Council Award will be presented to an individual athlete with a disability who has achieved significant progress in their sport during the year.

The Active Fife Coach of the Year and Youth Coach of the Year – the latter presented to someone under 20 – are also up for grabs, as is the Fife Sports and Leisure Trust Services to Sport Award, presented to someone who has given long-term and outstanding service to their sport.

School sport is also recognised with the Active Fife Services to School Sport award, while the Carnegie Dunfermline Trust Small School and Large School of the Year accolades are given to the schools who accumulated the most points during the primary schools’ sports festivals held throughout the year.

Nomination forms are available to download at westfifesport.co.uk. They can also be obtained by emailing sports.councilwest@fifeleisure.org.uk, by calling 03451 555555 (ext 493344), or at the sports council’s base at the Music Institute, East Port, Dunfermline, KY12 7JA.

The closing date for entries is Monday, January 16 and the ceremony, which will be held at the Glen Pavilion, will take place on February 22.