THERE are fresh faces, novel ideas and a huge injection of new blood in our finalists' line-up for the 2005 Evening Press Business Awards.

After nearly eight weeks of deliberation the judges today announce the names of the crme de la crme who will compete for the prizes at our 15th annual finals night in the Voltigeur Suite at York Racecourse on Thursday November 17.

For them, it will mean in-depth site visits by the judges in the next few weeks.

And for them, to use the phrase of this year's Guy Fawkes commemoration slogan, The Future Sparkles.

But as new and exciting as many of this year's finalists are, there are quite a few who have proved that if at first you DO succeed, try, try and try again, underlining their past prowess by not only appearing in the final line-up for one category, but two.

Back in 2003 the transport logistics organisation, Potter Group "did the double" when its boss Derrick Potter was adjudged Business Personality Of The Year and his organisation also earned the Best Environmental Company title.

This year it's another double for the Potter Group, which again has reached the finals of the Environmental title and is now staking a claim in the top three for the new and hotly-contested title of Large Business Of The Year.

Also at the final furlong in the Best Environmental Business category are Mil-tek (Central Ltd, which supplies paper baling machinery and Vellco Ltd, the used tyre collection and recycling specialist.

The two other formidable businesses (more than £1million turnover) which have reached the Large Business final are the CPP Group plc, the card and key protection service and the £8 million turnover Russell Construction (York) Ltd.

Also doubling up its chances for the spoils is The Balloon Tree Farmshop & Caf, which last year took the New Business of the Year title. This time it is in the final line up in both the Growth Business Of The Year and Retailer Of The Year categories.

But guess who are the competition in Retailer Of The Year? For one, it is The Japanese Shop Ltd, of York, which took the 2004 business awards by storm, clinching both this gong and the overall Business of the Year title. But both could be facing a dark horse retailer in the sweetly new shape of The Chocolate Factory.

Then there is Happy Jays, whose founder Jacqueline Gernon was in the 2004 finals of the Business Personality Of The Year. Now her children's nursery group is among the top three in the Progress Through People category in which also bidding for top honours will be Welcom Software, the Harrogate bespoke software provider, as well as Walmgate Day Nursery, which was a Progress Through People finalist last year.

Jacqueline herself is in line for top honours in the brand new Women in Enterprise category where she is competing against another double finalist, Susan Johnson of thermal lingerie specialist Bella di Notte Ltd (also Growth Business of the Year) and Kate Pettitt of graphic design company Bivouac.

The awards night will be nail-biting for Sarah Ashton, of Thimbelina who designed the stunning dress worn by MS York Georgia Horsley in last weekend's Miss England competition. Sarah is not only a finalist in the Young Business Entrepreneur Of The Year category, but is also in the running for Business Personality Of The Year.

Other possible Young Business Entrepreneurs are Sam Rickett of financial software provider BullBearings Ltd and Anthony Sterne who serves up a double helping of his I's Pies because he will also compete with Sarah in the Business Personality of the Year.

The third finalist in that category is David Brooks, the dynamic general manager of York's famous Dean Court Hotel.

Whoever said UK Juicers had squeezed the last drop of honours out of this competition? Back in 2003 the juicers manufacturer and distributor scooped two titles - e-Commerce Business Of The Year and Growth Business Of The Year. Last year it reached the finals of the e-commerce category but was "pipped", so to speak, by shoe-shop.com Ltd. This time, it is again in the finals for the title.

But opposition could again be tough with new finalists The Africa House which uses the internet to promote fair trade to African furniture manufacturers and EngNet, the internet resource created by engineers for engineers, competing for the honour.

Mitrefinch, the human resources software specialist, is on target to defend the title it won last year - namely the Best Use of New Technology.

But again it's a finalist facing strong opposition, this time from Nutra Tech Ltd, the hi-tech firm which has launched "talk yourself thin" mobile phone software which tracks ingredients in supermarkets and Don't weed it GEL it.com, run by Richard Fenwick who has developed a weed suppressant gel.

The most keenly-contested category, Small Business Of The Year, was whittled down to The Tasting Room restaurant, Quest PR and estate agency Gateway Lightowler.

Also keenly contested was the Best Business And Education Link for which the finalists are Norwich Union Life, York's biggest private employer, Immersive Media Spaces, which provides interactive technology for education and entertainment and ENDpapers Ltd which publishes unusual interactive books for schools.

In the New Business Of The Year category three stood out from a host of amazing fledgling ventures - Securability Ltd, which tackles the problems of computer security head on, Creepy Crawlies, the booming adventure playsite in Clifton Moor started by two York mothers; and Rock-It-Ball, the hi-tech throw-and-catch game which is catching on fast.

The identity of the recipient of the Evening Press Lifetime Achievement Award will be revealed on awards night.

Updated: 13:52 Wednesday, September 07, 2005