IF you believe you, your company or an employee to be an outstanding example of industry and success, there is just one week left to celebrate excellence in the Huntingdonshire business community. The deadline for entries for The Hunts Post Huntingdonshi

IF you believe you, your company or an employee to be an outstanding example of industry and success, there is just one week left to celebrate excellence in the Huntingdonshire business community. The deadline for entries for The Hunts Post Huntingdonshire Business Awards 2009 is now on Friday, September 11.

Eleven awards are up for grabs this year, including the overall winner, which will be chosen from the victors in the corporate categories.

The awards are open to all companies and other organisations in Huntingdonshire from sole traders to multi-nationals, and entry forms can be found on this website by clicking on the awards logo (above right).

They will be adjudicated by an independent panel of judges, chaired by John Bridge, chief executive of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire Chambers of Commerce, and the winners will be announced at a black-tie dinner in November.

Paul Richardson, editorial director of Archant Herts and Cambs, parent of The Hunts Post, who has chaired the event throughout its 12-year history, said: "This is the last chance for companies and individuals to be preparing and putting in their entries for the 2009 awards. We know there's a lot of quality in the Huntingdonshire business community, because we report it every week on our Business Page and in the Business section of the www.huntspost24.co.uk website.

"And we know many companies have been thriving in spite of - or even because of - the economic downturn," he added. "They will be strong contenders for this year's glittering prizes.

"We have made some big changes to these always-innovative awards this year, but something that hasn't changed is the newspaper's commitment to business. The Hunts Post is the only local paper that treats business in a serious and supportive way," he said.

"This year, we have streamlined the entry and judging process, working from the feedback of previous years. There will be less detail required in the initial stages, so we hope this encourages more people to enter. We also hope it means those who have entered in the past - and may not have been successful - can look at other categories this time around and have another go.

"We have also tightened the judging criteria even further, so the winners will truly be the best of the best, something you have to be to survive in these tough times."

The awards programme is sponsored by Archant Herts & Cambs and Huntingdonshire District Council. The individual categories are:

New Business Award, sponsored by Haines Watts, chartered accountants of Huntingdon

Employee of the Year Award, sponsored by Anglian Water

Retailer of the Year Award, sponsored by D H Barford & Co, St Neots-based property specialists

Environment/Community Award, sponsored by the Environment Agency

Small Business of the Year Award, sponsored by the Federation of Small Businesses Huntingdonshire Branch

Innovation Award, sponsored by Greater Cambridge Partnership

Business Website of the Year Award, sponsored by Huntingdonshire District Council, which is also supporting all awards

Training and Development Award, sponsored by Huntingdonshire Regional College

Employer of the Year Award, sponsored by Luminus Group, Huntingdon-based social landlords

Business Person of the Year Award, sponsored by Leeds Day, solicitors with branches across Huntingdonshire

The overall winner of the Business of the Year Award, sponsored by Cambridgeshire County Council, will be chosen by the judges as the best of the winners of the eight corporate categories above.