They appreciate honest, forthright opinion, and that’s what John Lethlean serves up every week in the only national weekly restaurant reviews, published in the magazine.

Ultimately, though, Lethlean’s columns celebrate food, and the kitchens and chefs that produce it. That’s why we have announced a new annual national awards program to find the nation’s most innovative restaurants.

The Hot 50 Restaurant Awards, to be announced on July 23, will be followed by a special issue of the magazine on July 28 listing the nation’s hottest restaurants, along with a state by state guide.

It will be compiled by our judging panel of Lethlean, The Australian’s food editor Necia Wilden, and restaurant critic Simon Thomsen, who will be assisted by state contributors.

An integral part of the 10 awards - which cover all aspects of the business from food to design, wine and service - will be a national People’s Choice category (voting has now closed).

We want to know the restaurants that are serving you exciting, innovative food, providing exceptional service and interesting wine lists - restaurants that you want to return to; that you would recommend to your friends.

The judging

By "hot", we mean the places that are must-visits for anyone interested in food and dining in this country.

Our criteria: in two words, dining pleasure. These are the restaurants that combine great food with a sense of innovation, individuality, personality – and fun. We admire places that take their work seriously; but we disdain places that take themselves too seriously, that veer into the realm of pretentiousness. We look for restaurants with a sense of place; a restaurant that has no sense of its environment, its surroundings or its food culture, is not a Hot 50 restaurant.

We look for restaurant experiences that give us a total enjoyment package. We recognise that many of our readers look for a high level of comfort, refinement and dependability, and our list will reflect that.

The judging panel have visited a long list of restaurants across Australia. The judging is based on pre-determined criteria, restaurants are reviewed anonymously and we pick up the bill everytime. If there is disagreement among the judging panel, the restaurant is visited again.

In addition to the Hot 50 there will be special state awards. And for the first time, The Australian will host a Hot 50 awards dinner recognising excellence across ten categories.

Awards categories

1. Hottest Restaurant: The place where everything clicks - the food, the service, the wine list, the design. But it’s more than that: this restaurant must embody the criteria of innovation, individuality and personality. It must have an assured touch, and a well defined sense of place. This is the restaurant that says something about Australian dining, where it’s at and where it’s heading.

2. Hottest Restaurant, by state: Criteria as above.

3. Hottest Chef: The chef at the top of his/her craft. We look for imagination, innovation, technique, an intelligent approach to current trends, and someone who is in touch with his/her diners’ wants.

4. Classic Restaurant: Because it’s not all about the new. The hottest classic restaurant is one that’s highly successful, well-regarded, consistently excellent and continually evolving with the times. It just happens to have been around a fair while.

5. Hottest Design: This award celebrates function, innovation and comfort; not necessarily big budgets. This restaurant must have an unrivalled sense of style with a determined nod to its location. Guest architect will assist with the judging.

6. Hottest Service: The place that best understands the notion of hospitality and delivers it over and over again, under all circumstances. This award recognises that great service isn’t something delivered by just one person, but by a team.

7. Hottest Wine Experience: Because these days, the wine list is the least of the restaurant wine experience. What matters most is the restaurant’s overall wine culture, reflected in the quality of its wine service and the appeal – and appropriateness - of its wine list. A mere document is meaningless unless it is backed up by knowledgeable, engaging, personable staff who demonstrate sensitivity to diners' level of knowledge - and their budget.

8. Hottest Dish: Technically accomplished and beautifully presented, but with an added twist of excitement and surprise.

9. Hottest Value: The place delivering the biggest bang for your buck. Not necessarily cheap; showing a generosity of spirit across menu and wine list. Hospitable. No upselling, no hidden traps. The place you leave feeling happy to have parted with your money.

10. Hottest People’s Choice: It’s over to the readers via online polling (voting has now closed). The winning restaurant owner and a guest will be flown to Sydney to attend the awards dinner.