The best of the best will be recognised at the Sussex Business Awards 2003 in a bid to find the company of the year.

There are two best company trophies up for grabs and winners will have to demonstrate outstanding performance in one or more aspects of their business.

The top three entries from the other 12 categories will automatically be considered for the award, although companies may also enter or be nominated.

The award is open to businesses with more than 25 employees and based in, or conducting most of their business from, Sussex.

The are two awards for different-sized companies, based on turnover and staff numbers.

The award is sponsored by Deloitte & Touche and the principal judge will be Neil Harris, a partner in the firm.

The judges will be looking at everything from how a business has performed in recent years and its current trading position to issues such as research and development, customer care, marketing and the contributions to the community.

Last year's winner was Complete Minilab Systems (CMS) in Eastbourne. In the 15-year history of the awards, very few companies have picked up a prize in consecutive years but CMS did it last year.

The company won the Innovation Award in 2001 and took home the Company of the Year trophy in 2002.

CMS was founded in 1985 at the dawn of the minilab era. It has grown into the UK's biggest and one of the world's largest independent organisations offering a complete engineering service to the photoprocessing industry.

CMS operates from a number of sites in the Eastbourne area with a staff of more than 150 administrators, technicians and engineers providing for the customers across the UK.

The company continues to expand throughout the UK and in Europe. About 80 per cent of the team is based in the regions while the rest operate from Eastbourne.

Entrants need to register their names, indicating the award categories they are interested in.

They can register online at www.sussexbusinessawards.co.uk or complete the registration form included in the prospectus available from the awards office on 01273 207155.

Entrants will be asked to complete a simple candidate profile and answer a number of short questions.

They should send their profile, together with the entry form, to the awards office as soon as possible and no later than July 4.

The judges will review the profiles and the companies and individuals shortlisted will be asked to make a fuller submission.

Wednesday June 25, 2003