CALLING all Gwent businesspeople under 35, your newspaper needs you!

Last Friday the organising committee of the Gwent Young Entrepreneur competition got together to review last year's competition and put a timetable together for this year's contest.

Last year's event was won by Ross Porter, who founded the Caerphilly-based Draig Personnel.

In addition to a trophy and silver salver, he picked up £3,500 in cash and vouchers and won an extra £1,000 from the M4 Business Breakfast Club in training assistance.

Runner-up was Stephen Hole, of Ridgeway Contractors, Tredunnock, who won £1,125. A similar sum was carried off by Tuesday Burgess, of Maggie Dog Films, having won a special merit award.

This year the competition sponsors - comprised of South Wales Argus, Barclays Bank, Newport & Gwent Enterprise, M4 Business Breakfast and Peacheys Chartered Accountants - have introduced a few innovations.

A free business breakfast will be held in June so that any prospective entrants can drop by, meet the sponsors and find out how easy it is to enter the competition. The closing date for completed entry forms will be October 1.

A business celebrity will present the prizes and his/her name will be announced shortly. Parameters for entry are very broad: your business can be of any size and in any sector, and there is no minimum time for which it must have been running.

Each short-listed business will spend one hour with the judges to enable them to explore areas such as entrepreneurial flair, business planning, marketing and personnel.

Roger Peachey, of Peachey's accountants, said: "We met some very inspiring entrants last year with well-founded businesses.

"We're now looking for more of the same and hope to broaden the net and double the entry level."

This year there will be an additional category called Stars of the Future.

Essentially, this is a search for the best business idea which has not yet been put into action.

David Russ, on behalf of Newport & Gwent Enterprise, has put up a £500 cash prize and that figure is being matched in terms of free consultancy by Peacheys Chartered Accountants.

Anyone who feels they might like to enter this year's competition should get in touch with Samantha Peachey on 01633 213318 or e-mail her samantha.peachey@peacheys.co.uk

PICTURE: The contest organising team (from left) Roger Peachey, Business Argus editor Ashley Nield, David Russ and Samantha Peachey