Qualify for prizes by voting for eateries

• Vote for your favorite restaurants: 'Ilima Awards ballot

Advertiser Staff

The Advertiser's annual 'Ilima Awards celebrates both these aspects of Island living by allowing readers to vote for their favorite Hawai'i restaurants, and rewarding voters with prizes that include travel, and, of course, more eating.

Top vote-getters in the 'Ilima Awards are honored with a special section that serves as a guide to our most popular eating places. The winners also are the focus of a gala fall event, including an awards show and a tasting, a benefit for Diamond Head Theatre.

And those who enter can win a Mainland weekend for two, courtesy of Diamond Head Theatre: round-trip tickets to any of Hawaiian Airlines' West Coast destinations, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, San Diego and — yes, we know it's not on the coast — even Las Vegas, and two nights' hotel accommodations in the city of your choice. All qualified ballots will be entered in the drawing, which will take place on Sept. 14; just be sure to put your name, address and daytime phone number on your ballot!

Two others names will be drawn to receive second- and third-place prizes: dinner at the 2001 'Ilima Award-winning restaurant of your choice and two tickets to a Diamond Head Theatre play.

This year, it is easier than ever to participate in the 'Ilimas: You can clip a ballot out of the newspaper (they'll appear each Sunday in the Island Life section through July 1); you can download and print out a ballot from www.honoluluadvertiser.com, our Web site; or you can clip the ballot from our O'ahu's 100 Best Restaurants guide, which is being updated and revised and will appear in the newspaper and elsewhere around the Islands starting July 1.

In an effort to keep the count honest, and prevent ballot-stuffing by fans of individual restaurants, we do ask, however, that all ballots be filled out by hand, that you vote only once, that each ballot be mailed in an individual envelope and that ballots not be photocopied. Ballots that don't meet these criteria will be disqualified.

Click on the link for a copy of the ballot.

The 'Ilima Awards section, in which the winners will be announced, is scheduled to appear Oct. 7. The 'Ilima Awards gala — an awards show featuring spoofs of favorite show tunes honoring the various restaurants, singing and dancing by a talented local troupe, a tasting dinner and dancing afterward to Kit Samson's Sound Advice — will be Oct. 8, Columbus Day. This year, the event is sponsored by Visa for Diamond Head Theatre. The winning restaurants contribute the tasting menu and staff the booths under the stars.

If you've got questions about the 'Ilima Awards, call us at 525-8034. If you'd like to enquire about tickets to the Diamond Head Theatre 'Ilima Awards gala, call the theater at 734-8763.