Of course that depends on the category being entered, as the business awards offer several sections voted on by customers and Times readers.

However some will be decided by a panel of five judges drawn from the education, public service and business support sectors.

The panel is headed by a person who wanted to remain anonymous, but who will be referred to as Fred.

He said the key to success at the business awards was to fully and completely answer the questions set out on the entry form.

“The most important thing is answering the questions,” Fred revealed.

He said in the past local businesses had submitted entries they had put clearly together for other awards, but which missed the point for the local awards.

“Glossy publications and profiles might look good, but they are not going to help you if they don’t answer the questions,” Fred said.

“You need to treat these awards as separate, and provide separate information for them.”

Fred said the judging was based entirely on the answers given to questions on the entry form, so people needed to be detailed and accurate while keeping the information simple.

“That’s the only way we can really compare apples with apples,” he said

“We have a compressed judging time, so have to rely on the information people provide and we like entrants to stick to the facts.”

However, judges were aware enough of what was happening in the local business community to pick up information that was obviously incorrect, Fred said.

Despite that, there were often businesses and information that surprised the judges.

Fred gave the example of 2013 Business of the Year, Aljen Engineering, as “a perfect example of the hidden businesses in this town”.

It had grown from a man doing a bit of welding to a business supplying products and doing work for projects not only all over Australia, but internationally as well.

Fred said there might well be another hidden business gem in the region, particularly among the ranks of people who had moved to the area and bought themselves jobs because there w=as no work available for them.

The categories being judged by the panel include Community Organisation of the Year, Best Tourism Event, Best Tourism or Hospitality Business, Best in professional Practice, Best Trade and Services, Best in Health, Wellbeing and Beauty, Best in Retail and Business of the Year.

The winners will be announced during a gala evening at the Ulladulla Civic Centre on Friday, September 11, showcasing the best of the local business sector.

Fred said the awards presentation was always a big night that gave business owners and operators a chance to network and benchmark themselves against the businesses judged the best in the region.

It was also a great opportunity to learn more about some of the region’s hidden business gems, and the up and coming business operators, Fred said, along with discovering the good work being undertaken by the region’s many fantastic community groups.

Tickets for the night are on sale for $55 or a table of 10 for $500.

Tickets include a three-course dinner and live entertainment on the night, and can be purchased from the Milton Ulladulla ExServos Club.

Entry forms for the awards are available from the Milton Ulladulla Times office, the ExServos Club, Ulladulla Printing Service and TCC Accounting in Milton.