Finalists have been notified, the celebrities have confirmed and there are now only ten days until The Argus Achievement Awards.

The heroes of Sussex will be honoured at a glittering ceremony at the Hilton Metropole in Brighton on May 19.

This is The Argus's fifth awards ceremony. The awards were launched in 2001 to honour the men, women and children of Sussex who make a difference.

Champagne and a three-course dinner will greet the 33 finalists, those who nominated them and their guests before they watch the winners go up to accept their trophies.

ITN newsreader Nicholas Owen will again be presenting awards to the Achiever of the Year, Parent of the Year, Angel of the Year, School of the Year, Pupil of the Year, Teacher of the Year, Charity of the Year, Good Neighbour of the Year, Local Hero of the Year, Courageous Child of the Year and someone who has gone Beyond the Call of Duty.

Our Contribution to Sussex award is the 12th category on the list and will recognise a special individual or organisation which has made the county a better place.

The winner will be chosen by Michael Beard, editor of The Argus, and announced at the ceremony.

He said: "It should be a great night and an opportunity to recognise some of the real unsung heroes in the city."

Among those watching The Argus "Oscars" will be newsreader Carol Barnes, hairdresser Trevor Sorbie, Coronation Street's Mr Nasty Brian Capron, artist Alison Lapper, actor Michael Jayston and Brighton's unofficial mayor Terry Garoghan.

Nominations flooded in for every category and deciding the finalists proved an onerous task. We found it far too difficult to name three courageous children and so compromised with four finalists for this year's Courageous Child of the Year award.

The Beyond the Call of Duty Award will again be made in memory of Jeff Tooley, the police officer knocked down and killed while on duty in Shoreham in 1999.

Jeff's brother Russell Tooley will be on hand to present the award.

The Local Hero of the Year will be made in memory of actor Adam Faith, who died in 2003.

A special The Argus Achievement Awards supplement will be published tomorrow which will reveal who the finalists are and detail all the nominations we received in a bumper spread.

A full report of the evening will be published in The Argus on Monday, May 22. Travers Clarke-Walker, director of marketing at sponsor EDF energy, said: "As a key supporter of the local community, EDF Energy is once again delighted to be playing a primary role in supporting this rewarding event which recognises groups and individuals who go beyond the call of duty."