SINGAPORE - The 12th edition of the annual City Hawker Food Hunt kicked off on Tuesday (July 23) at the Bedok South Market & Food Centre.

The hawker hunt - where members of the public can nominate their favourite hawker stalls - is organised by gas provider City Gas and Chinese evening newspaper Shin Min Daily News. It is supported by the Health Promotion Board, National Environment Agency and Singapore Tourism Board.

The nomination period runs from Tuesday (July 23) till Sept 15, and the categories are for Local Food, Healthier Choice, and International Food - a newly-introduced award this year. This award is open to stalls selling non-local food such as Japanese, Korean and Thai food.

The 10 stalls with the most number of nominations in each category will receive the People's Choice Hawker Stall award. Of the 10 stalls, six with the highest number of nominations will enter the People's Choice Hall of Fame, and win a cash reward of $1,000 each.

Participants will also stand a chance to win a staycation at Park Regis Singapore with each nomination.

The list of award winners will be published in Shin Min Daily News after the awards presentation ceremony in November.

In addition, diners can redeem sets of reusable cutlery (on a first-come-first-served basis) at selected hawker centres, as part of City Hawker Food Hunt's efforts to support environmental sustainability. Locations include Maxwell Food Centre (on July 31), Boon Lay Place Market and Food Village (on Aug 18), and Holland Drive Market and Food Centre (on Sept 1).

Mr Kenny Tan, chief executive officer of City Gas, says: "City Gas is proud for City Hawker Food Hunt to be the platform where people from all walks of life can nominate their favourite hawkers across 111 hawker centres. We strongly support the promotion of hawker food as it is a much cherished culture in our local community."

For more information and to nominate your favourite hawker stall, go to www.cityhawkerfoodhunt.com.