Make this year the year you enter Isle of Man Newspapers’ Awards for Excellence.

If you’ve never had a go before there are lots of good reasons to give it a try this year.

There are 16 award categories which offer opportunities for everyone from young achievers and small businesses right up to the largest companies on the island.

There are awards for achievement in the public sector and for charitable and cultural organisations and awards for individuals in the areas of business and voluntary work. You can enter the individual awards yourself and you can nominate someone you know to enter who has been an exceptional volunteer for a local charity, cultural or community organisation.

For businesses, the Awards offer the chance to raise the profile of their organisation, especially useful for a smaller business or one just starting out. Every year the judges are heard to comment about the amazing achievements of local companies that they had never previously heard of.

And if you get chosen as one of the three finalists in your category you will be invited to attend the Awards Night itself which is always a very smart and glitzy occasion.

You will have your photo taken and it will be in the programme and flashed up on screen in the Villa Marina at the start of the show where it will be seen by all the island’s movers and shakers.

But don’t take our word for it, here’s what some of our previous winners had to say...

â?¢’It was a great reward for the team here and great for DLP, to get publicity for who we are and what we are and what we do, because not everybody knew about us before,’ Ian Felmeri, engineering manager DLP, winners Innovation and Independent Thinking 2015.

â?¢’We put the award winners’ logo on all our emails, including the chief executive’s. I think that, in particular, is a really lovely thing to have and I think it certainly helps when we are looking for sponsors for this year’s festival - it’s a very good marketing tool,’ Audrey Fowler, marketing officer DEFA, winners Public Sector Achievement in 2015 for the Isle of Man Food Festival.

â?¢’When our name was announced we received a fantastic ovation, and the response subsequently has been exceptional, and the publicity invaluable,’ Bill Dale, Beach Buddies, winner Volunteer of the Year 2016.

You can find full details of all the award categories and download entry forms at www.iomtoday.co.im.