A charity is calling for nominations for its annual Norfolk Youth Awards, which will be hosted by a presenter of The One Show.

Eastern Daily Press: Norfolk Youth Awards 2018 at OPEN, Norwich. Photo credit Simon Finlay Photography.Norfolk Youth Awards 2018 at OPEN, Norwich. Photo credit Simon Finlay Photography. (Image: Copyright 2018)

Earlier this year, OPEN Youth Trust (OPEN) held their inaugural Norfolk Youth Awards, which saw 27 young people and three youth organisations shortlisted for an award.

This year OPEN hopes to raise the bar for the awards, with a larger number of nominees in each category and a wider contribution from people and organisations across the county.

The 2019 awards will be hosted by Joe Crowley, ambassador for OPEN and presenter of The One Show and Countryfile, along with influential members of the community who will announce the winners and a panel of judges including Cindee Creham, CEO of Momentum Norfolk, who will make the final decisions.

OPEN's chief executive, John Gordon-Saker, said of the 2018 awards: 'It was an excellent chance to recognise how incredibly hard young people across Norfolk work in a variety of areas.'

Nominations for the following categories will open on September 24: Community – sponsored by Inspiring Learning, Sport (Individual) – sponsored by Active Norfolk, Team of the Year – sponsored by East of England Co-Op

Arts – sponsored by N W Brown, Charity – sponsored by Price Bailey, Entrepreneur – sponsored by Larking Gowen, Perseverance - sponsored by Indigo Swan, Momentum Volunteer Award – sponsored by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Norfolk, Education – sponsored by Hugh J Boswell.

People have until December 31 to submit nominations, either online or by picking up a nomination form from OPEN. Nominees must be aged between 11-19 (or up to 25 years for those with additional needs) and living in Norfolk, with the exception of the Hero Award, sponsored by Norfolk Constabulary. Spire Solicitors are sponsoring the Outstanding Achievement Award which will be announced during the ceremony on Wednesday, April 24.

The main sponsors for the awards are City College Norwich, Norwich City Football Club and Norfolk County Council.

The online form for submitting nominations can be found at https://opennorwich.org.uk/whats-on/norfolk-youth-awards