Shining stars of Norfolk's cultural scene are to be honoured in the fifth Norfolk Arts Awards.

The ceremony – which is part of the Hostry Festival and in association with Eastern Daily Press – will take place at Norwich Cathedral's Hostry on Friday, October 21.

Today we can reveal the finalists in many of the categories.

Stash Kirkbride, co-founder of the Norfolk Arts Awards and artistic director of the Hostry Festival, said: 'The Hostry Festival's red carpet gala event celebrating the arts and culture in Norfolk is full of nominations as always. Now in its fifth year, this fabulously positive Oscar-style project is set to garner people and projects in Norfolk with praise for their work.'

The event will be hosted by BBC Radio Norfolk's Nick Conrad and Chrissie Jackson.

As always there will be an EDP People's Choice Award which gives our readers the chance to nominate and vote for their cultural heroes. More details will be announced soon.

The awards were founded by Stash Kirkbride and Peter Beck in 2012, and are a Hostry Festival project.

For more about the Norfolk Arts Awards and the Hostry Festival, visit www.norfolkartsawards.com and www.hostryfestival.org

Some of the Norfolk Arts Awards 2016 finalists

• The Theatre Award sponsored by City College Norwich

Jack Lowe is artistic director of Norwich-based theatre company Curious Directive which has most recently presented Spindrift.

James Ducker and Hayley Evenett's REDuck ProDUCKtions, pictured above, provides local creatives with a platform to develop new work, including through a Scratch Shot event at the Maddermarket Theatre.

• Arts in the Community Award supported by the Norfolk Community Foundation

Led by Danielle Carvell from Barclays and Vicki Hackett from Savills, Inspir8tion is a Norwich networking group which has been raising funds for Norwich Theatre Royal's Stage Two project.

Thetford Music Project encourages young people to make music and its key activity is a music club for more than 100 children.

• The Visual Arts Award sponsored by Norwich University of the Arts

Théodora Lecrinier and Hannah Turner Wallis, pictured above, are the founders of Dyad Creative which focuses on visual arts and contemporary performance in Norwich.

The Fairhurst Gallery, pictured in the next column, in Norwich, champions contemporary fine art, helping to develop new artists' careers and enabling established practitioners to reach new audiences.

• The Broadcast and Press Award sponsored by The Norse Group

Susie Fowler-Watt, pictured right, has co-presented BBC Look East since 1997. Her previous BBC roles include assistant producer for political programmes at Westminster and political correspondent for BBC East.

Fiona Ryder, pictured above, was founding managing director of Mustard TV – Archant's Norwich television station – from 2012 to March 2016. She is creative director and co-founder of Tin Can Digital.

• The Fashion and Costume Award sponsored by Norwich Fashion Week

King's Lynn designer Ashley Pearce set up Mystic Magic in 2005 and his head pieces and masks have featured on BBC's Strictly Come Dancing.

Norwich-based textile designer Carol Lake specialises in botanical designs and has collaborated with Van Dal to create a shoe range.

• The John Jarrold New Writing Award supported by the John Jarrold Trust

Peter Tolhurst's Norfolk Parish Treasures celebrates the county in three volumes: Mid Norfolk and The Broads; Breckland and South Norfolk; and North and West Norfolk.

Sarah Perry's second novel, The Essex Serpent, sees a village terrorised by a winged leviathan in a gothic Victorian tale crammed with incident, character and plot.

• The Music Award sponsored by Norwich High School for Girls

Lucy Pearson, pictured below, from Diss, is a contemporary producer and songwriter with a first class honours degree in popular music production.

Matthew Freeman, pictured in the next column, who was born in Great Yarmouth, is an award-winning conductor and arranger. His association with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra began in 2004 with the album Symphonic Rock which has been performed annually at Royal Albert Hall.

• Dr Frank Bates Dance and Musical Theatre Award

Michele Neave studied at the Royal Academy of Dancing in London before returning to Norwich and working at Norwich Theatre Royal and Maddermarket Theatre. She has taught dance for 35 years.

Lorraine Theobald, based in Norwich, has run multicultural dance workshops for schools for 26 years, working in more than 800 schools.

• The Hy Kurzner Entreprenuer Award sponsored by Helen McDermott

Tin House is a Norwich-based community arts organisation which works with people from all walks of life.

Ian Westbrook's Gorleston-based theatre design and set building company, 3D Creations, has worked on projects around the world and with major names in the entertainment industry.

• The Education and Community Award sponsored by The TEN Group

Norwich Theatre Royal's Stage Two education and skills centre aims to increase opportunities for young people to experience the arts.

The Norfolk Youth Music Theatre has been staging musicals for 21 years at venues including Norwich Playhouse and the Maddermarket Theatre. Recent shows include the Phantom of the Opera, The Secret Garden and Into The Woods.

• Other awards to be presented: The Peter Barrow Bursary Award; the Norfolk Icon Award (supported by Mustard TV); the EDP People's Choice Award; Outstanding Contribution To The Arts Award (supported by EDP Norfolk Magazine); and the Lifetime Achievement Award (sponsored by the Maddermarket Theatre).