The 2001 Sussex Business Awards are being launched this week.

Scores of companies are already registering for the contest which takes off at a prestige reception for 150 of the county's leading business people.

Organisers are unveiling two new award categories, four new sponsors and supporters and a new-look logo for the award scheme.

Thursday's launch of the awards is sponsored by the Copthorne Effingham Park, near Gatwick, where the event is being held.

It is on the theme Growing Your Business in 2001. Leading figures from the regional business community, all previous winners of Sussex Business Awards, will be outlining their formulas for growth.

Among the speakers will be Richard Daws, executive chairman of Brighton-based Victoria Real, the convergent media company which designed and built the record-breaking UK Big Brother web site.

He will be joined by Jakki Brierley-Shorrock, managing director of Chichester direct mail marketing company Codestorm, who in five years took a business idea from her kitchen table to a £1.3million turnover enterprise employing 60 people.

The third speaker is Michael Herd, executive director of the Sussex Innovation Centre, which supports and encourages new technology companies to develop their ideas. The centre is home to 35 new companies employing 200 people and is planning further buildings, both in Brighton and elsewhere in Sussex.

There are still a few free tickets left for the launch - details from the Awards Office on 01273 207155.

The new logo for the scheme, the first major change since the awards began in 1989, retains the heraldic martlet of Sussex in a new, freer framework. It was designed by Shoreham-based agency Oliver and Graimes.

Among the eight awards on offer this year, there is a new category - the Environmental Awareness award - for the company or organisation doing most to protect our environment and natural resources. It is sponsored by South-East Water, in association with the Environment Agency.

Gatwick-based Virgin Atlantic Airways joins the line-up of sponsors, backing the Dynamic Business award, for the fastest-evolving, most dynamic enterprise in the county.

Awards for all-round performance include Sussex Company of the Year, sponsored by accountants and management consultants KPMG, and the Small Business award, for an enterprise with up to 25 staff, which is sponsored by Southern FM.

The University-Business Partnership award is sponsored by Brighton and Sussex Universities to reward the best partnership between a business and a Sussex university or higher education institution.

Solicitors asb law - previously known as Argles Stoneham Burstows - and The Sussex Innovation Centre are backing the Innovation award, for the most successful innovative product or service.

Companies which serve their customers from retail premises, including shops, estate agencies and motor dealerships, can compete for Sussex Retailer of the Year, sponsored by The Argus.

Businesses noted for their community work are eligible for the Business Community Citizenship award, sponsored by American Express, in association with Business in the Community, which promotes business involvement in regeneration.

The awards also have support from Sussex Enterprise.

Winners' trophies will be presented at a prestigious event in November at the Copthorne Effingham Park. Sussex Business Awards are supported for the first time in 2001 by the economic development group of East Sussex County Council.

Other supporters are Fortis Bank, which provides a wide range of corporate banking services, Brighton and Hove City Council and Concept Media.

The awards are created and organised by The Priory Partnership Ltd.