The shortlist for the 2015 North East Trades Awards was announced by an independent panel of judges this week after receiving a record number of applications.

Now in its third year, the Stewart Milne Group sponsored awards aim to showcase the knowledge, experience and integrity of the areas’ trades businesses and the people behind them.

Neil Thomson, construction director of Stewart Milne Home said: “It is a real honour to be involved in this year’s Trades Awards which recognises and rewards tradesmen and trades businesses throughout the North East of Scotland. It is great to see the growth of this event making this year the biggest and potentially most exciting year since its launch in 2013. As a judge, it is a real privilege to be working alongside the other judges and there was a real sense of excitement as we poured over the many remarkable applications within each category. The North East of Scotland truly has many talented tradesmen and trades businesses.”

Entrants in with the chance of raising an award on the night are:

Trades Employer of the Year (sponsored by Richard Irvin Energy Solutions)

Apprentice of the Year (sponsored by Stewart Milne Group)

Best Trades Business (sponsored by Federation of Small Businesses)

Health and Safety (sponsored by Safety Scotland)

Home Improvement – Exterior (sponsored by Flexistore)

Best in Customer Service (sponsored by Public Loss Adjusters.Com)

Best Use of Innovation (sponsored by Eyecandy Graphics)

Home Improvement – Interior (sponsored by Simply Self Storage)

Tradesman of the Year (sponsored by Original 106 FM)

New Business Award (sponsored by Clark Commercials)

Announced on night

Outstanding Contribution (sponsored by Grampian Continental)

Announced on night

For the first time since the Trades Awards launched in January 2013, finalists are now invited to a finalist’s lunch where they will meet the judges and discuss their applications in more detail. A site visit and interview will also be carried out for finalists within certain categories.

Winners will be announced at a lavish awards dinner and ceremony on Friday 12th June 2015 at Aberdeen Football Club.