o Organisers of the 2010 Oxfordshire Business Awards are celebrating another record with 173 entries — ten per cent up on last year, and almost 50 per cent ahead of the 2007 figure.

Paul Lowe, chairman of the organising committee, said: “I am delighted with the response from the Oxfordshire business community.

“At least 20 of the entrants are past winners or finalists, so we already know there are some high quality candidates and I am sure there will be many more to give the judges a tough task in the coming weeks.”

Judges will now decide which companies to visit in a bid to finalise a shortlist for their particular categories. Final decisions will be taken by sponsors at the judging meeting on May 6. The finalists will then be made public. One finalist will ultimately become the 2010 Oxfordshire Business of the Year.