Hard News by Russell Brown

Public Address Word of the Year 2018: Time to vote!

The debate has been had and the longlist has been written. It's time now for you, the public, to vote. Just use the form embedded below to register your top three choices for Word of the Year – and go in the draw for a double pass to a Fat Freddy's Drop's summer tour. I'll close the vote later in the week and publish the results. NB: The form scrolls independently, so don't forget to look at all the nominations.

Did I mention prizes? There are prizes.

Both the first person to propose the winning word and one lucky voter will win a double pass to their choice of shows from Fat Freddy's Drop's boffo summer tour, which runs the length of the motu, from Whangarei to Queenstown, and includes the amazing Western Springs show , featuring not just our friends the Freddies, but Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Norman Jay MBE, Ladi6, Troy Kingi, Silva MC and Logg Cabin. The prizes are fully transferrable, so whether you're spending the summer in Bali or you're just a grinch who can't dance, someone gets to share the love.

Thanks, Fat Freddy's Drop!

Winners will be able to enjoy both beloved, familiar tunes and the new jams they've been rolling out for European audiences:

You don't want to miss this ... so get voting.

PS: As I've explained in previous years, the law now prevents us giving alcohol as prizes. But I do like to modestly reward the lovely Hadyn Green for his help with the Word of the Year voting forms, and Hadyn really does love the beer, so I'm delighted to say that the excellent new beer shop and tasting room Bottle Stop, in Vinegar Lane, Ponsonby, will be supporting democracy with a brew or two. Thanks Bottle Stop!