The search has begun for the best businesses in Sussex.

This year, the Sussex Business Awards have an accent on training, creativity and career development.

At the launch event at the Copthorne Effingham Park Hotel, near Gatwick, more than 200 of the county's leading businessmen and women met this year's panel of judges and heard from three of last year's winning companies on what the awards meant to them.

Three new awards were announced and three new sponsors were introduced.

Learning Pays! is a new award for outstanding achievement by a Sussex employer in developing its workforce.

It is sponsored by the Sussex Learning and Skills Council and the principal judges for the category are the council's chairman Norman Boyland and executive director Henry Ball.

Also new is an award for the creative industries, open to organisations in new and digital media and the arts.

It is sponsored by Brighton and Hove City Council and East Sussex County Council and will be judged by Scott Marshall, head of economic development and regeneration with Brighton and Hove council, and Tony Bray, head of strategic economic development at the county council.

The third new award is for individuals rather than companies.

The career development award will go to the employee of a Sussex company who has made the most effective use of training.

Sponsored by Newhaven-based Cash Bases and Sussex Downs College, it will be judged by Hugh Burnett, managing director of Cash Bases and John Blake, principal of the college.

Seeboard Energy is sponsoring the Small Business Award, which will be judged by its head of business market Steve Hargreaves.

Another new sponsor is Brighton and Hove Business Community Partnership which, with American Express, is sponsoring the business community citizenship award.

This award will be judged by American Express vice-president Zoran Novakovic and Peter Field, chairman of the business community partnership.

The category for the Sussex businessman/woman of the year is once again sponsored by Southern FM and judged by the radio station's managing director Bob Hoad.

South East Water and the Environment Agency are sponsors of the environmental awareness award, which will be judged by the Haywards Heath-based water company's managing director Margaret Devlin.

Steve Law, head of financial planning at the Gatwick-based airline Virgin Atlantic, is principal judge for the dynamic business award, now in its second year.

The innovation award is jointly sponsored by asb law and the Sussex Innovation Centre. It will be judged by Don Burstow, a partner with asb law, and the centre's executive director Mike Herd.

The Argus is again sponsoring the Sussex retailer of the year with Howard Scott, managing director of Newquest (Sussex), as the principal judge.

The university-business partnership award is sponsored by the universities of Brighton and Sussex and will be judged by Colin Monk and Allan Symes.

Accountancy firm KPMG is again sponsoring company of the year. Senior partner Neil Chapman is the prin-cipal judge.

Entry forms are available from The Priory Partnership on 01273 207155 or entrants can register to enter online at www.sussex-business-awards.co. uk. Closing date for entries is July 5.