An anti-fracking activist and an ethical supermarket have been nominated for a prestigious national newspaper award.

Vanessa Vine, who was a figurehead of the anti-fracking demonstrations at Balcombe, is up for Campaigner of the Year at The Observer Ethical Awards.

She will be joined at the event on June 11 by Brighton’s hiSbe supermarket, which is up for Retailer of the Year.

The awards which is now in its ninth year is regarded as the biggest of its kind with past winners including Lenny Henry, for his work with Red Nose Day and Joanna Lumley for her various campaigns.

Ruth Anslow, from hiSbe, said she and her sister Amy were “delighted” to be nominated.

She said: “We are very proud and grateful to be in the five finalists for the Observer Ethical Retailer Award.

“Winning the award would mean everything to us and help us to open more hiSbe stores. Thank you to everyone who nominated us for this award and voted us to win.”

HiSbe opened in December last year with the intention of changing the way we shop.

Its focus is on providing a fair deal for both producers and customers and selling local produce which has a minimal impact on the environment.

It is up against Growing Communities, a Hackney organic local farmers’ market, Babi Pur, an ethical baby products producer based in Snowdonia, Riverford, a veg box company which supports small scale family farms and RoCo, an Irish eco-organic salon.

Vanessa Vine, who lives just outside Balcombe, is the founder of the Frack Free Sussex Group.

She was on the frontline of protests against Cuadrilla’s exploratory drilling during the summer of 2013 and has been a public face for the group through TV, newspaper and radio interviews.

She said: “It is very encouraging that two out of five shortlisted in two categories of these high profile awards are for people devoting their time to raising awareness of the unconventional fossil fuel industry. It shows that more and more people are realising the importance of the tireless work being done by every day people to stop our gover ment.”

She is up against Brian May CBE, the former Queen guitarist and animal rights campaigner, Carry Somers, the founder of Fashion Revolution, Nicola Peel, an environmentalist and film maker and Anne Power, another key anti-fracking figure.

Other categories include Young Green Champion, Sustainable Fashion, Best in Business and Local Hero.

All the winners will be announced at the ceremony on June 11 at the One Marylebone venue in London.