Organised by Urbis, the annual The Best of Manchester Awards celebrate innovation in art, music and fashion.
Anyone working within the fields of music, art and fashion, and who lives or works in Greater Manchester, can enter - and stand the chance of having their work judged by a panel of 24 industry experts that includes Peter Saville, Wayne Hemingway, the Turner Prize winning artist, Jeremy Deller, Tim Marlow, Miranda Sawyer, Yvette Livesey and Luke Bainbridge.
For those working in the creative sector, The Best of Manchester Awards are more than a pat on the back from the industry.
They're about more than the winners' £2,000 cheque and a major exhibition at Urbis.
The awards are a chance for the winners to kick-start their career with the kind of contacts and professional development that money can't buy.
"We are delighted to be launching the awards again this year," says Vaughan Allen, Chief Executive of Urbis.
"Last year was a huge success, with a 65% increase on the number of overall entries, and we expect 2009 to be even better.
It is vital that Manchester supports its creative industries, particularly given the tough economic climate, and that's what the Best of Manchester is all about: recognising, supporting and nurturing the city's creative professionals when they need it most - when they're on the verge of making it to the next level of their career."
more: urbis.org.uk (214)