Smash Hits started to run its annual Poll Winners Poll in 1980. It involved asking their readers to complete a form that was printed in the magazine. The form detailed, among other things The Best Dressed Person and Favourite Single from the year, and the readers would send them into the Smash Hits offices. The completed forms would then be compiled into a list of the winners and runner up's and Smash Hits would then print them in the magazine. For the first couple of years the results were printed in either February or March of the next year. However, in 1982 the results were printed in December of the same year.

In 1988 the poll changed from just being published in the Magazine to being a TV Event and was renamed the Smash Hits Poll Winners Party. The awards ceremony ran from 1988 to 2005 and was still voted for by the readers of the magazine. The Smash Hits Poll Winners Party ended with the closure of the magazine in 2006. The event was initially produced by concert promoter, Harvey Goldsmith and Janet Street-Porter. Steps manager Tim Byrne, also worked on the show.

The awards ceremony was shown on BBC1 from 1988 to 2000 then later on Channel 4 from 2001 to 2005, it was renamed to T4 Smash Hits Poll Winners Party. Past presenters have included Phillip Schofield, Simon Mayo, Andi Peters, Toby Anstis, Lily Savage, Ant and Dec, Will Smith, Melanie Sykes, June Sarpong, and Vernon Kay.

The award itself was seen as a gimmicky object by many outside the magazine readership, including winners such as rock bands . It was an oversized fake gold disc bearing the magazine's logo, turned slightly by 45 degrees to the left placed in a black stand.^[1]

Readers' Poll edit

Winners Party edit

The Smash Hits Poll Winners Party is an annual awards show that was aired on BBC1 from 1988 to 2000 before moving to Channel 4 in 2001 until its demise in 2005.