North and East Yorkshire boasts some gold-standard businesses. Every entrant to the Evening Press Business of the Year competition displayed so much creativity and dynamism that the judges had to work hard to separate them.

More encouraging still was the diversity of our winners. From long-established engineering outfits to the exciting world of e-commerce, these companies shared a commitment to excellence.

The competition gave great cause for optimism about the region's future. Relying on a handful of large, traditional industries is no longer an option in a rapidly changing domestic marketplace buffeted by global competition.

A mix of small, medium and large businesses working in a whole variety of different fields will provide the stability necessary for the local economy to prosper.

All our winners demonstrated an innovative, people-led approach that was truly heartening. We offer them our congratulations, and our thanks for contributing to a triumphant awards night. We look forward to discovering more business success stories in next year's competition.