The search is on to find the best cookery school in the country

The finalists will be competing for the 2012 Cookery School awards in the following categories: Best cookery school (this will be the overall winner from a shortlist that will include one school from each region on the Looking to Cook map) Best city cookery school Best country/residential cookery school These two will be picked from the entrants above. Best short cookery course (three hours or less) Best day cookery course or food learning experience (this category is open to all food experience providers) Best 'diploma' cookery course (this category is open to providers of certified courses no shorter than one week long) Best community oriented cookery school Best cookery school tutor Best cookery school website (there's no need to submit an entry for this category, we will hand pick a shortlist and allow the public to vote) Entry to the awards is easy and free. Those looking to take part must send us an email clearly stating which category they are entering in the subject box and a short statement highlighting why they think their school should win; each school/company can enter no more than three categories. There is no fee for up to two entries but a fee of £29 for a third entry. The final stages of judging will take place in September and the winners of each of the awards will be announced later in the year and featured in a national newspaper. They will also be awarded special badges on their Looking to Cook profiles and a prize to be confirmed. The judging panel will include Thomasina Miers, winner of MasterChef and founder of Wahaca Restaurants; Nick Wyke, founder of Looking to Cook, Celia Brooks Brown, cookery author and founder of London's Gastrotours, and two other leading industry professionals to be announced shortly. Public votes and comments for a particular school, course or tutor can be made via the comments box at the bottom of a school's profile on the Looking to Cook website, or via our Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest pages, using the hash-tag #cookschoolawards. A spokesperson for the awards said: "Above all we are looking for evidence of infectious enthusiasm and fun in an open environment where students can learn and indulge their passion for food. We are also looking for consistency and creativity in the conception and execution of classes, and a capacity to share knowledge through compelling teaching." The winners will be the sort of school or course that people would like to return to again and again.