Judging will take place on Thursday September 3^rd 2009 at Nottingham Trent University and the esteemed judges will be looking for entrants which have displayed high quality creative work which shows innovation in an ever changing world.

Now in its third year, the awards will celebrate the city's creative sector enhancing Nottingham's profile as a creative city of national and international importance. They aim to recognise and celebrate the successes achieved by businesses and individuals working in the city's creative industries and raise Nottingham's profile as a hotbed of globally influential talent.

As well as judging for the 11 Creative Business Awards, the judges will also be deciding on who wins the Nottingham Creative Business of the Year award. This huge accolade will be based on the overall impression of the business and its contribution to Nottinghamshire's creative industry landscape.

Heading up the judging is Chair Ann Priest who is Head of College for Art, Design and the Built Environment at Nottingham Trent University. Ann has considerable experience in the fashion industry, having worked for a variety of fashion houses such as Mulberry and high street retailer Wallis.

Among the judges are Andrew Cooper, founder and organiser of the first Nottingham Creative Business Awards and co-founded the Nottingham Visual Arts, an online magazine and directory devoted to the review and celebration of Nottingham's burgeoning visual art scene.

Director of Nottingham Contemporary Alex Farquharson will also join the panel. Alex is a curator and critic of contemporary art by background and has worked in both a freelance capacity in Europe and USA and as Exhibitions Director at Spacex and CVA in Exeter and Cardiff. Alex co-curated the last British Art Show and If Everybody Had an Ocean at Tate St Ives and CAPC Bordeaux.

The rest of the judging panel comprises of:

Debbie Read – Director of Arts & Business East Midlands

Sunita Yeomans – Head of Design at Argos

Iain Simons – Director of GameCity- International Videogame Festival

Caroline Hennigan - Head of Audience Development and Cinema Programme at Broadway

Simon Fitch - Head of Performing Arts at Arts Council England, East Midlands

Angela Kay - Director of Nottingham Choral Trust

Adam Buss - Deputy Director of QUAD, Derby's £11 million centre for art and film

Michael Eaton - Nottingham-based writer

Stephanie Jebbitt - International designer of fashion and furnishings

Henderson Mullin - Chief Executive of Writing East Midlands

Debbie Bryan – Established Debbie Bryan Studio and Shop

Martine Hamilton Knight – Specialises in architectural photography.

Guy Brown – Product Designer

Val Passetti - Architect Dr Valeria Passetti RIBA of PASSETTI+ASSOCIATES

Simon Harrison - Creative Director of Nottingham graphic design studio, Purple Circle

Wolfgang Buttress – Award-winning sculptor & urban designer

Martin Knox - International brand consultant and business designer

Marc Gaudart - Senior Vice-President of Global Consulting at Experian

Adrian Jones - Independent consultant specialising in the integration of planning, urban design and transport.

Nick Alfrey – Lecturer in Art History at University of Nottingham

Rhonda Wilson - Creative Director of Rhubarb-Rhubarb

David Chantry – Fashion Designer

Jonathan Fort - Designer and manufacturer of contract furniture.

Joan Taylor - Creator of business TUTU

Alex Jukes - Specialises in animation and interactive art

Lorna Milligan - Creative Director at Jupiter Design in Nottingham

Sean Hastings - Vice President of Product & Design at Nottingham-based Speedo International

David Robinson, President of Speedo International and Chairman of the Nottingham Creative Business Awards said: "To have such renowned designers, directors and creative minds judging this year is a big boost for the awards and the entrants.

Due to the amount of time and talent that goes into the entrants work it is only right that we have such a highly esteemed judging panel comprising of the region's leading creative industry and business professionals to judge the work."

The Nottingham Creative Business Awards ceremony will be held on Wednesday 7^th October at The Council House.

Confirmed sponsors for the awards are:

Title Sponsor – Confetti Media Group

Architecture, Urban & Interior Design – Greater Nottingham Partnership

Digital Media – South Nottingham College

Music & Performing Arts – New College Nottingham

Product Design – Nottingham City Council

Photography – Fast Graphics

Film and TV - Broadway

Writing & Publishing – The Arts Council

Crafts – Blue Lias Marketing

Visual Arts – One Nottingham

Graphics & Advertising – St Tropez

Fashion & Textiles – Nottingham Trent University

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