Old and new box it out for the People's Choice Awards

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Old and new box it out for the People's Choice Awards

Hot new contenders to the TV Guide Best on the Box Awards are battling it out against television veterans to be this year's people's choice winners.

It's a contest of old versus new in some of the most hotly contested categories. For the Sexiest Woman title, the likes of newbies to the Best on the Box Awards Sara Tetro (NZ Next Top Model), Shortland Street's Kimberly Crossman and Shannon Ryan, the young sprightly presenter of C4's The Official Top 40, are vying against three-time winner Robyn Malcolm, two-time nominee Samantha Hayes (3 News) and the nation's sweetheart, Breakfast presenter Pippa Wetzell.

Battling out in the Sexiest Man category are newcomers Charles Mesure (Alec Ross, This Is Not My Life), Craig Hall (Nicky Greegan, Outrageous Fortune) and Chris Sisarich (NZ's Next Top Model). They are joined by TV One News presenter and six-time winner Simon Dallow, Breakfast weather presenter and two-time nominee Tamati Coffey and last year's winner Antony Starr.

TV Guide Editor Julie Eley says this year's list of Best on the Box nominees features a lot of young talent.

"I am constantly surprised by the fresh talent that continues to turn up on our television screens year after year," says Eley. "This trend is indicative of an industry that has really come into its own."

This year's awards will also be a contest between two of the nation's most-loved drama series - Shortland Street and Outrageous Fortune. With 11 nominations between them, which of the two popular dramas will go home with the most gongs?

Other contenders in 2011's TV Guide's Best on the Box Awards include Rena Owen for Best Actress for her role as Hine Ryan on Shortland Street and Mark Richardson (Crowd Goes Wild) who has been nominated in the Funniest Person on TV category.

Now it's up to the viewers to decide this year's Best on the Box winners. All entries will go into the draw to win one of five MY SKY HDi decoders (including installation), 12 months' subscriptions to SKY Basic package, SKY Sport and SKY Movies.

In last year's competition, more than 200,000 votes were cast across 27 categories. This year's awards mark the introduction of one new category which, for the first time, will give voters the opportunity to name their favourite channel.

Voting forms will be published in the February 10 and 17 issues of the TV Guide. To vote online, visit www.tv-guide.co.nz/botb2011 . Voting closes on March 4 at 5pm with winners announced in the March 17 issue of the magazine.

Follow TV Guide on Twitter http://twitter.com/nztvguide and Facebook http://www.facebook.com/thetvguide .

ENDS

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