It's that time again. Time for readers of the Houston Press to help us find the most deserving creative people in the Houston area who are doing much to advance the arts in whatever form. And then in January we'll hand out the 8th annual MasterMind Awards.

This is not a lifetime achievement award or a popularity contest, but recognition of what people are doing now to make Houston a better place artistically and in terms of its culture. Awards go to individuals and to groups and in the past have gone to visual artist, dancers, musicians, filmmakers and photographers to name just a few. 

Three recipients will be recognized at next year's Artopia event, a celebration of the arts scheduled for Saturday, January 30 at Winter Street Studios, 2101 Winter Street. They will receive a plaque and a no-strings-attached check for $2,000 to each of them. 

To nominate someone or to nominate yourself, send your suggestions to [email protected] with the name of the person or group and a brief explanation of what makes them deserving. A panel of judges will make the final selection. 

Deadline for your nominations is December 4, 2015. 

And if you are interested in tickets to Artopia:

Tickets are on sale Friday, November 20  at noon at ticketfly.com.
Exclusive pre-sale opportunity to purchase tickets before they go on sale to the general public:
Starts: November 17 @ 10 a.m.
Ends: November 20 @ 10 a.m.
Promo Code: HPART