The city's most creative businesses are being urged to stand up and be counted in this year's Nottingham Creative Business Awards.
Last year's awards - the first - attracted more than 150 entries across 11 categories. Winners included businesses as diverse as a jewellery designer, a film director and a Chilwell knitwear company.
Organiser's hope this year's awards - to be launched with a party at Alea in Nottingham on July 10 - will be bigger, as businesses take advantage of a free showcase for their talents.
NCBA chairman Mark Shaw is the founder of Jupiter Design, one of the largest creative agencies outside of London, and believes that Nottingham's creative economy is a major asset.
"Nottingham Creative Business Awards aim to celebrate and raise the profile of the city's thriving creative business community and recognise excellence in every part of the creative sector," said Mr Shaw
"The UK's creative industries are growing twice as fast as the rest of the economy and, at a rough estimate, there are around 1,500 creative businesses in Nottingham, employing nearly 10,000 people, so this is a hugely important sector for the city.
"We live and work in a thriving hotbed of designers, artists, musicians, photographers, performers and architects. The Nottingham Creative Business Awards celebrate the best of this work."
Debbie Bryan, who took the Craft Award title last year, has seen her craft jewellery business take off.
"The awards created such excitement about Nottingham as a creative city," she said. "When approaching new retailers, being able to say that we are an awarding winning company definitely made us stand out from our competitors and secured meetings that have led to orders. It was a great platform to meet local retailers and potential customers and I also established a collaboration with local illustrator Charlotte Thomson on a collection of burlesque illustrations to compliment our hand-cast collectables.
"The Victorian Burlesque Collection was launched at the Design Show in Liverpool and the Pulse International Trade Show. Four retailers have now placed orders for the collection and the main goal for 2008 is to secure re-orders, which I am happy to say is being achieved."
She added: "It's common for creative businesses to be quite modest about what they do and their achievements, as usually we are doing something we are really passionate about and love but I would urge Nottingham's creative businesses to stand up and get the recognition they deserve - it can lead to great things."
The judging panel will include creative practitioners, business people and sponsors with different backgrounds, experiences and expertise. Full details will be published on www.creativeawards.biz in the coming months.
The deadline for entries is August 19, with the shortlist announced on September 15. The awards culminate in a spectacular ceremony and exhibition at the Council House on October 1.
Source: Nottingham Evening Post
More news in Nottinghamshire