JUDGING is underway for the CN Group Business Awards, the county's most prestigious business competition.

The judges met in Carlisle last week to shortlist three finalists in each of the 15 open categories, and select a worthy recipient for the 'lifetime contribution to Cumbria' accolade.

With a record number of entries this year, CN Group Business editor Julian Whittle carried out an initial shortlisting before the panel convened.

CN Group, the parent company of the in-Cumbria.com , organises the awards to recognise the county's most enterprising, innovative and dynamic businesses and the people who run them.

Mr Whittle said: “I have been involved in the awards for the last three years and this is clearly the strongest field of entries we have had in that time. The judges had some difficult choices to make.”

The other judges were John Grainger, stakeholder director at Britain's Energy Coast Business Cluster, and Paul Murphy, a former CN Group Business Awards winner named 'businessperson of the year' in 2014.

Mr Grainger declared an interest in categories where Britain's Energy Coast Business Cluster members were in contention.

Mr Murphy is a former general manager of NRL's accountancy business Simplyco, at Dovenby near Cockermouth, who left to set up his own recruitment agency, Knight Benton, in Cleator Moor, earlier this year.

Chairing the panel was Jonathan Lee, group development director at CN.

The finalists will be revealed next month and the winners at a black-tie gala dinner at the Low Wood Bay Resort Hotel, near Ambleside, on October 20.

The recently-appointed Small Business Minister, Margot James, is guest speaker at the event.