BUSINESSES at the top of their game are eagerly waiting to find out if they will be crowned the best in the land after the Wiltshire Business of the Year Awards judges unveiled their shortlist.

The annual awards ceremony - which this year marks 22 years of celebrating entrepreneurial enterprise in the county – has welcomed entries from more than 50 businesses who have submitted 107 entries into the eight categories in a bid to be named winner of the most prestigious business awards in the county.

With the backing of Thrings Solicitors, Wiltshire College, Mainline Employment Limited, BBC Wiltshire, Baker Tilly and NatWest, firms were able to enter a maximum of three categories.

Also this year for the first time the awards will celebrate fledgling businesses that have been founded within the last two years with the brand new category recognising start-up businesses.

Newsquest’s business development manager Louise Cooper heralded the awards as receiving the most entries in the last eight years.

“The calibre of business entering also continues to be high so the judges were really impressed,” she said.

Gary Lawrence, Regional Editor for Newsquest Oxfordshire and Wiltshire, said he had been hugely impressed by the standard of the entries for this year’s awards.

He said: “We are absolutely delighted with the fantastic standard of entries this year and I know the judges have been impressed already. They will be visiting everyone on our shortlist in the coming weeks to find out more about our entrants and discuss their businesses.

“It looks as if the competition for our awards is going to be as fierce as ever, which means our gala finals night at Center Parcs Longleat Forest next month will be keenly anticipated as ever. It should be a great night.”

Judge Ramona Derbyshire, a partner at Thrings Solicitors in Swindon, echoed praise for the standard of entries this year and revealed the judges had had their work cut out in selecting who to take on to the next level. She said the whole process had been really exciting.

“We have been sitting down to decide who is going to go and see which businesses over the coming days because there were just so many that we wanted to go and visit of the next few weeks," she said.

“That is when it gets really exciting for us and it all comes alive because we get to see them on their home turf and in their own setting. This is when we really get to get under the skin of it all and see what they are all about.

“At the meet the judges event last week there was such a buzz about the awards.”

Each of the businesses who have now been shortlisted will be visited by the judges ahead of the gala awards ceremony to be held at Center Parcs in Longleat Forest on Friday, April 15.

The shortlist of businesses in line for an award are:

BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR - sponsored by RSM

John Williams Heating - Debbie Williams

Thirdline - Jack Peploe

Cardwave - Paul Norbury

toinfinity - Al Keck

CMC (Chippenham Motor Co) - Adam Bailey

Showoff Dance - Liam Abram

Ardour Recruitment - Donna Gillingham

Travel Bee Ltd - Charlotte Marshall-Reynolds

Purple Marketing - Denise O'leary

Sales Coaching solutions - Alison Edgar

CIS Ltd - Richard Marsh

NCE computers - John Greenwood

H5 Adventure - Paul Webb

Miles Window Systems - Anthony Miles

MEDIUM SIZED ENTERPRISE - sponsored by Nat West Bank

Whitehall Garden Centre

Bechtle Direct Ltd

CMC (Chippenham Motor Co.)

Wasdell Packaging

Outsource UK Ltd

NCE computers

Cardwave

SMALL BUSINESS - sponsored by MJ Church

C3marketing

John Williams Heating

Office Evolution

Thirdline

H5 Adventure

CMS group

START UP BUSINESS - sponsored by The Enterprise Network

AB Recruitment

Future of Football

Purple Marketing

Balia coffee and vinyl

Gooding Accounts

Smartech energy

APPRENTICESHIP, TRAINING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPER - sponsored by Wiltshire College

Haddon Training

Bechtle Direct Ltd 

PH Sports

CMC (Chippenham Motor Co)

CMS group

CUSTOMER & STAFF CARE - sponsored by Mainline

Imagine Cruising

Basepoint

All things web

Outsource UK Ltd

Thirdline

Bil Group

PH Sports

Whitehall Garden Centre

SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY - sponsored by BBC Wiltshire

Cardwave

Ganges

Imagine Cruising

Office Evolution

Outsource

Sales Coaching solutions

OUTSTANDING EXCELLENCE AWARD - sponsored by Thrings Solicitors

Smarttech

Haddon Training

Office Evolution

Outsource

Smiles

Cardwave

Thirdline

Whitehall

Chippenham Motor Co

Bechtle

Wasdell

John Williams

TM Group

C3 Create

Sales Coaching Solutions

H5 Adventure

NCE Computer Group

toinfinity