It's time to vote for your community heroes and inspirational figures across our borough.

Last month we launched the Mercury Awards 2021 to praise all that is good in our borough, from thriving businesses to charity fundraisers and events that captured people's imagination.

We were inundated with entries for our awards, which have eight categories:

Business owner of the year; Pub landlord of the year; Teacher of the year; Community hero; Young person of the year; Moment of the year; Fresh idea of the year (a new event or initiative) and Uniformed hero of the year.

We whittled down the nominations down to three for each category and know we are urging our readers to vote for them.

The final nominees are:

Business of year
Mark Smith of Just Designed, Gorleston
Emma Bailey of The Gossip hair salon, Gorleston
Jeffrey Allen of Allens Butchers, Hemsby

Pub landlord of the year
Ricky and Lauren Finch of The Rumbold Arms, Great Yarmouth
Paul Hodgson of the Tombstone Brewery, Great Yarmouth
Ruben Cruz of Bar 37, Great Yarmouth

Teacher of the year
Saul Garthwaite Peterhouse Church of England Primary School
Isabel Carter, Ormiston Herman Academy
Emma Stevenson, Cobholm Primary Academy

Community hero
Sue Wharton-Weaver, for support to Hemsby Lifeboat and wider community
Liz Townson, Gorleston Baptist Church foodbank
Hannah Ashpole, Magpies baby and toddler group at St Mary Magdalen Church, Gorleston

Young person of the year
Tia Hutchinson for Tia's Treasures fundraising
Amelia Balls for making cakes to raise cancer charity funds
Mabel Shields for running own Race for Life aged five

Moment of the year
Banksy's Spraycation
Out There Festival
Fire on the Water

Fresh idea of the year (a new event or initiative)
Freshly Greated
Magpies Baby Group
Fire on the Water

Uniformed hero of the year (NHS/Police/Ambulance service/military/fire or Coastguard/RNLI member)
Dr Jamie Maclean of Park Surgery, Great Yarmouth
Hemsby Lifeboat
PC David Howarth, Gorleston beat manager

Mercury editor Anthony Carroll said: "I am stunned at how many nominations were sent in for our awards.

"The response was just fantastic and shows how people across the borough want to celebrate and praise all that is great about their communities.

"We have reported on so many inspirational people and their stories this year and covered some amazing events across Great Yarmouth and beyond.

"I hope we are now flooding with votes as people across the borough vote for the various categories and choose their community heroes. Good luck to all the nominations."

Vote for the finalists below

Business of the year

Pub landlord of the year

Teacher of the year

Community hero

Moment of the year

Young person of the year

Fresh idea of the year

Uniformed hero of the year