Eight Gozo residents will be recognised for their outstanding contributions to the island at the second edition of The Pride of Gozo Awards ceremony.

Awards will be presented in eight categories during a ceremony organised by the Rotary Club of Gozo on the evening of Thursday, February 29.

The Community Award is in recognition of service to the island, the Environmental Award goes to a person who gives selflessly to preserve natural spaces, and the Local Hero Award is awarded to an individual who has done something very special for their fellow Gozitans.

Other categories include Professional of the Year, Business of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, and the coveted “President's Award” which last year went to Gozo tug boat skipper Kenneth Grima for his outstanding contribution to saving a tanker from running aground on the Maltese Coast, helping save lives and averting an environmental disaster.

A new Award was introduced this year - “The David Carrington Youth Award.”

“David was our very first President when the Club was formed in 2007," Rotary Club of Gozo President, Johanna Marks explained.

He had a real passion for getting our Club involved in anything that helped the young people of Gozo. David died in tragic circumstances so we felt this was a fitting tribute to a fine man.”

The Club has worked with Carrington's widow on this particular project and the winner of this award will also take home an Apple iPad.

“Although David was not in the first flush of youth, he was a master at all things Apple. An iMac, an iPad and an iWatch were always close to him and he used them to help our Club immensely,” Marks said.

The evening itself will open with a performance of the newly formed, “Ogygia Folklore Group” and the evening will be hosted by Gozitan journalist and broadcaster Mark Laurence Zammit.

The night will be closed by Peter Thomas, Musical Director of the Gozo Community Choir who will perform a locally written song.

A limited number of seats have been made available – free of charge – to the general public on a first-come, first-served basis for the event which will be held at the Queen Mary University Hospital Campus within the grounds of Gozo General Hospital.

To request seats, email secretary@rotarygozo.org stating the number of seats required and the names of all guests.

A voluntary donation is sought from all in attendance to assist the Rotary Club of Gozo in their local, fundraising activities.

The Pride of Gozo Awards are sponsored by the Ministry for Gozo, in association with the Times of Malta and organised by the Rotary Club of Gozo.