Five streets in Scotland, including streets in Glasgow's West End, have been shortlisted by Google's panel of experts.
This includes: VisitBritain, Lonely Planet, TV presenter Julia Bradbury, Fashion Designer Jeff Banks and Editor of Glamour, Jo Elvin.

• Main Street in Tobermory on the Isle of Mull is nominated for Britain's Most
• Picturesque Street
• Byres Road in Glasgow and The Shore in Edinburgh nominated for
• Britain's Best Foodie Street
• Buchanan Street and Ruthven Lane in Glasgow nominated for Britain's
• Best Fashion Street

Google have today announced the launch of the Google Street View Awards, a celebration of Britain's best-loved streets as voted for by the public in a nationwide poll. Five streets from within Scotland have been shortlisted for the awards by Google,s expert panel.

The awards, for Britain's Most Picturesque Street, Best Foodie Street and Best Fashion Street, have been created in anticipation of further imagery being added to Google's revolutionary Street View tool, which currently allows users to view and navigate 360 degree street-level imagery in 25 British towns, including many of those nominated for the Street View Awards. Later this year, Street View will be rolled out to cover additional streets from around the UK.

Scotland proved popular with Google's panel of experts who nominated a total of five streets across the three categories. These included Tobermory,s Main Street on the Isle of Mull which was nominated by the Lonely Planet,s David Else for the Most Picturesque Street. The brightly painted cottages that line the sea front will be recognisable to many familiar with the TV series, Balamory.

Glasgow impressed Google's panel of experts, receiving two nominations for the Best Fashion Street category for the popular Buchanan Street and the independent vintage shops found on Ruthven Lane. Glasgow,s Byres Road was also nominated in the Best Foodie Street category by Nicholas Lander, Restaurant Correspondent at the Financial Times. The Shore in Edinburgh was also nominated for this category by Richard Harden, Co-Editor of Harden,s Restaurant Guides.

Shortlisted nominations for each of the award categories have been compiled by a panel of experts from the worlds of food, fashion and travel including VisitBritain, TV personalities Julia Bradbury (Countryfile), Jeff Banks (The Clothes Show) and Brix Smith Start (Gok,s Fashion Fix), leading journalists Jo Elvin (Editor, Glamour) and Nicholas Lander (Restaurant Correspondent, Financial Times) and authors David Else (Editor of The Lonely Planet Guide to Great Britain) and Richard Harden (Co-Editor, Harden,s Restaurant Guide). The experts were asked to nominate streets that fulfilled a pre-set criteria for each category. Their nominated streets highlight a series of British treasures ranging from famous tourist attractions such as London,s King's Road, Royal Crescent in Bath and The Shambles in York to hidden avenues and courtyards such as Gold Hill in Shaftesbury and Pen Cei in Aberaeron, Wales.

The five streets within Scotland will now battle it out against 46 other streets in a nationwide public vote. Voting opens from today, and closes on Sunday 28th February. The winners will be announced in March. To vote, go to www.maps.google.co.uk/beststreets

Britain's Best Foodie Street

The winning street should offer a unique mix of mouth-watering options which could include fine dining, cafes, market stalls and delicatessens, all covering a diverse mix of food types and price points.

1. Byres Road, Glasgow
2. The Shore, Edinburgh
3. High Street, Southwold, Suffolk
4. High Street, Cley next the Sea, Norfolk
5. South Embankment, Dartmouth
6. Whiteladies Road, Bristol
7. Charlotte Street, London
8. Stockbridge High Street, Hampshire
9. Call Lane, Leeds
10. Fossgate, York
11. Broad Street, Birmingham
12. Belgrave Road, Leicester
13. Wilmslow Road, Manchester
14. Hope Street, Liverpool
15. Osborne Road, Jesmond, Newcastle
16. Haven Hill, Craster
17. Cross Street, Abergavenny
18. High Street, Conwy
19. Botanic Avenue, Belfast
20. Howard Street, Belfast

Nicholas Lander, Restaurant Correspondent at the Financial Times nominated Byres Road in Glasgow, commenting: "it is the focal point of Glasgow's West End, in a city where everyone seems to want to have a good time."

Britain's Best Fashion Street

The winning street should offer an eclectic mix of boutique and high street, designer and high street for all clothing tastes and ages. The winning street should satisfy both bargain-hunters and label-lovers.

1. Ruthven Lane, Glasgow
2. Buchanan Street, Glasgow
3. Rose Crescent, Cambridge
4. Gentleman,s Walk, Norwich
5. Milsom Street, Bath
6. Regent Street, Clifton Village, Bristol
7. Kings Road, London
8. Westbourne Grove, London
9. Stonegate, York
10. Briggate, Leeds
11. Corporation Street, Birmingham
12. Bridlesmith Gate, Nottingham
13. Mathew Street, Liverpool
14. New Cathedral Street, Manchester
15. King Street, Manchester
16. Northumberland Street, Newcastle
17. High Bridge Street, Newcastle
18. Queen,s Street, Cardiff
19. St Mary,s Street, Cardiff
20. Victoria Street, Belfast
21. Lisburn Road, Belfast

Jo Elvin, Editor of Glamour Magazine nominated Buchanan Street in Glasgow for the Best Fashion category, commenting: "it has a Really exciting Oxford Street vibe that would really bring out the shopaholic in me!"

Britain's Most Picturesque Street

The winning street should be uniquely British and visually charming. It could be vibrant, full of character, diverse, walker-friendly or architecturally interesting.

1. Main Street, Tobermory, Isle of Mull
2. Gold Hill, Shaftesbury, Dorset
3. Royal Crescent, Bath
4. Chipping Campden High Street, Gloucestershire
5. Brunswick Square, Brighton & Hove
6. The Shambles, York
7. Grey Street, Newcastle
8. Pen Cei, Aberaeron
9. New College Lane, Oxford
10. Broad Street, Ludlow

Lonely Planet's David Else nominated Main Street on Tobermory, commenting:

"I'm a sucker for a row of multi-coloured houses, and I love a harbour view. Tobermory,s Main Street combines the two perfectly."

The winning three streets will be crowned, Britain's Best Street 20100 in each relevant category. Google will work with the winning streets to create a bespoke Google Street View tour, created to highlight the key retailers and points of interest, allowing the world to find out more about the nation,s final choices.

Competition is expected to be fierce as streets from all over Britain battle it out for the coveted awards. Can Scotland put itself firmly on Google,s map by winning any of the three best street categories, or will Main Street in Tobermory lose out to Dorset's pretty Gold Hill in Shaftesbury, home of the famous Hovis advert? Will Glasgow,s Buchanan Street attract enough votes to be crowned Britain's Best Fashion Street with its mix of shopping arcades, department stores and high street favourites, or will it be upstaged by London,s historic King's Road or Bath's boutique-filled Milsom Street?

Sandie Dawe, Chief Executive, VisitBritain said:

"We are really pleased to be involved in this exciting project which will honour streets across the UK and help raise the profile of Britain internationally in an innovative way. The campaign received high levels of participation from overseas which raises the level of engagement with Britain."

Ed Parsons, Geospatial Technologist for Google said:

"We want to celebrate the beauty and culture of Britain and are really excited about the first ever Google Street View Awards. The awards will showcase some of Britain's Best Streets across the UK and we hope people will get involved and vote online for their favourite."

To vote go to: www.maps.google.co.uk/beststreets