THE Trinity Mirror Cheshire Business Awards, sponsored by SAS Daniels and Click Consult, are celebrating their 10th anniversary this year.

And we seeking businesses from across the region to nominate themselves or another business they know well for one of the awards.

There are 11 categories to choose from and the awards are open to all businesses whatever the size of trade.

This week we begin looking at each of the categories in detail:

Mersey Forest Green Award:

THIS award celebrates excellence in green practice, strategy and product.

Has your business applied environmental policies in the workplace? Do your products or services make a positive contribution to the environment?

Have you reduced your carbon footprint through efficiency management?

This category recognises a local business that shows evidence of a green ethos which has a commercial return for the business.

With nine million trees planted so far, The Mersey Forest is working to make North Cheshire and Merseyside one of the best places in the country to live.

From creating whole new woodlands to planting thousands of street trees, they are making the local area a greener, more attractive place to invest.

Two thirds of people say that their local environment has improved in the last decade thanks to their work.

But there is still more to do. They have an ambitious new plan to ensure the good start made in transforming the area is sustained.

Part of that involves supporting others who plant the seeds of sustainability in their business or community – for example sponsoring this award. It really is all connected.

Find out more about how they get ‘more from trees’ – visit www.merseyforest.org.uk, follow on Twitter @merseyforest or join facebook.com/merseyforest.

Last year, judges recognised the outstanding green ethos running through the whole operation at Quinn Glass Ltd, from the initial site design through to manufacturing processes and daily operations including the use of non-potable water, using recycled glass as a raw material and waste that is treated on site and then discharged via an attenuation pond, reed bed and existing drainage ditches benefiting local wildfowl.

Cheshire West & Chester, in assoc with Blue Orchid, Business Start Up Award:

IF YOUR business began trading after January 1, 2011 why not enter this award and receive recognition for your hard work and determination?

Our winner will be an entrepreneur who may have brought a fantastic new product to market, found a niche area to focus on or overcome all odds to achieve success.

Tell us about your business, your market place, your performance and your future plans to win the recognition you deserve.

Cheshire West and Chester Council, in partnership with Blue Orchid, the accredited provider of business start-up advice across the borough, are delighted to sponsor the business start-up category for the 2013 Business Awards.

The skills and talent to succeed as an entrepreneur are to be applauded and encouraged.

The diversity and calibre of the new businesses we encounter are testimony to this entrepreneurial culture. Creating and sustaining new businesses are a key priority.

Blue Orchid delivers a business support programme, offering both one to one advice and a programme of workshops to eligible individuals who are considering self-employment.

The range of support available includes business planning, financial forecasting, developing marketing strategies, finding premises, and signposting to local networking opportunities.

The 2012 winner of the award was Mulbury Homes in Lymm.

Mulbury Homes started their business in the construction industry in the midst of the worst recession since the 1930s but it paid off.

A specialist affordable housing developer, which started trading in 2011, Mulbury Homes went on to secure contracts for projects worth over £50 million and has created hundreds of jobs.

To enter visit www.cheshirebusinessawards.co.uk and download an entry form, alternatively call the events team on 01244 606472 or email enquiries@cheshirebusinessawards.co.uk to request a copy.The deadline for entries is Friday, August 9.All entries received will be reviewed by our independent panel of judges and the shortlists announced in the paper in September.Winners will be announced at a gala dinner and awards ceremony hosted by Lucy Meacock on Friday, October 4, at Chester Racecourse.cheshirebusinessawards.co.uk and download an entry form, alternatively call the events team on 01244 606472 or email enquiries@cheshirebusinessawards.co.uk to request a copy.

The deadline for entries is Friday, August 9.

All entries received will be reviewed by our independent panel of judges and the shortlists announced in the paper in September.

Winners will be announced at a gala dinner and awards ceremony hosted by Lucy Meacock on Friday, October 4, at Chester Racecourse.