NOMINATIONS are now open for this year’s Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce Business Awards.

Winners have a case for calling themselves the ‘best of the best’ with the organisation’s national success as Chamber of the Year.

The awards ceremony will be held on the evening of Thursday July 10 at the Bank House Hotel, Worcester.

Categories for 2014 are: Most promising new business (for businesses trading fewer than three years); Small business of the year; Manufacturer of the year - sponsored by Hewett Recruitment; The Sustainability Award; Best use of technology to improve your business - sponsored by TechTeam; Exporter of the year - sponsored by Malvern Instruments; Excellence in innovation – sponsored by Central Technology Belt; Most outstanding young person in a business- sponsored by Dytecna; Commitment to people development – sponsored by Sanctuary Group; Growth business of the year – sponsored by GrowthAccelerator; and Business of the year (winner of winners) - sponsored by CB Chartered Accountants.

This year chamber members will also be sent specially made ‘Chamber Lotto’ scratch cards during the April to May 16 nomination period.

Prizes on offer range from driving a Morgan for the weekend to luxurious spa days.

Winners of a number of the business awards will automatically be included in the British Chambers of Commerce national business awards where previous successes have included Herefordshire’s Tyrrell’s Potato Chips which won £50,000 as winner of the ‘Outstanding Business Achievement Award’ in 2007.

Nick Grey, owner of Gtech which won ‘Business of the Year’ in 2013, said: “Winning the business of the year award has been amazing. It gave us all a great lift and really raised our profile in the region. It is great that local business is celebrated in this way.”

Sharon Williams, acting chief executive of the Chamber of Commerce, said: “Our awards are the most hotly contested and prestigious business awards in the area.

“The Chamber Business Awards celebrate all that is good in business and offer local firms the opportunity to enhance their reputation both with customers and within the business community as well as boost staff morale.

“I would strongly encourage businesses to enter and be in with a chance to enjoy the benefits that winning brings.”

With a closing date for entries of 4pm on Friday May 16 Herefordshire businesses have plenty of time to enter these awards. For more information phone 0845 641 1641 or email awards@hwchamber.co.uk