YOUNG people with business brains and kind hearts are to be honoured at a glittering ceremony in Plymouth today.

Youngsters who have made a difference to their community or shown entrepreneurial flair will be presented with prizes at The Herald Youth Awards.

Plymouth Olympic diving star Tom Daley joins The Herald editor Bill Martin to present the trophies at City College Plymouth.

Tom, aged 14, has been chosen as an inspirational role model for young people after his success in diving events including the Beijing Olympics.

The sponsors of the awards – now in their third year – are the college, the University of Plymouth and Apex Care Solutions Ltd, which enables people with learning disabilities to get access to opportunities.

Parents, teachers and companies have nominated young people, all under the age of 18, for showing enterprise in the way they performed in business and also those who have helped give their time for the benefit of the people around them.

The nominees for the community award include a group of students from Notre Dame school who created a vision of how young people want to see Plymouth.

The girls had the idea of brightening Plymouth Railway Station with some unusual artwork depicting the myths and magic of the Tamar Valley.

The Imagine team worked with students from Lipson Community College and primary schools in Calstock, Gunnislake and Bere Alston.

Also nominated is the DY2K Bonfire Project team who organised a crime-free fireworks display in Devonport.

Police were worried about crime and anti-social behaviour around November 5 so worked with youngsters through a youth centre. The young people took full responsibility for the running and the safety of the event.

The final nominees are students from St Boniface's College who launched a big brother and sister mentoring scheme.

Year 7 students are assigned a sixth-former who befriends them and eases them into the secondary school.

The nominees for the Most Enterprising Youth in Business award include Charlie Archbold, 17, a student at Devonport High School for Boys, who has been singled out for his leadership in this year's Young Enterprise scheme. He was involved in the Blue Chestnut team.

Martin Herd, 17, from Ridgeway School in Plympton, is nominated for hosting the Chew TV internet channel.

He championed the use of an interactive multi-media desk to lead public debates.

Finally, children from Woodfield Primary School in Whitleigh have been nominated for setting up their own bank, with the support of St Boniface's College.

The school set up a bank to help the pupils understand the basics of managing money.

Every child had the chance to open an account and pay in money, in a joint venture with Nat West, Tamar Education Business Partnership and the Learning Skills Council.

Other awards include the University of Plymouth Business Ideas Challenge Award, the University of Plymouth Student Volunteer of the Year Award and the University of Plymouth FLUX Award.

The School's Herald Team of The Year award will also be presented, as will the Tamar Education Business Partnership's Young Enterprise Challenge award and the Plymouth Schools Enginuity Challenge.

The Herald Youth Awards are part of this year's Plymouth Enterprise Week, which has been running since Monday.

The awards have been highlighted as a flagship event in the week, alongside Wednesday's INSPIRE Skills Festival at Plymouth Albion's home ground and the Make Your Mark Challenge for entrepreneurial youths on Monday.

The five-day Enterprise Week festivities, which have been organised to champion business in the city as part of National Enterprise Week, have already involved hundreds of people from all sorts of business backgrounds and countless young people.

But The Herald Youth Awards have been set up to offer something different – the chance to reward those young people who have put their heart and soul into business or the community.

Bill Martin, editor of The Herald, said: "The achievements of young people often go unrecognised but we wanted to reward those who have shone over the past year. Good luck to everyone who has been nominated."

HERALD YOUTH AWARDS 2008 PROGRAMME:

4pm: Arrival and tea, kindly provided by City College Plymouth catering students.

Music from the City College Plymouth Choir

4.30pm Awards Ceremony

Presented by editor of The Herald Bill Martin and Olympic diver Tom Daley

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The Herald's Enterprising Youth in Business – sponsored by Apex Care Solutions

This award aims to find the city's next entrepreneur and to celebrate the enterprise of Plymouths young people.

University of Plymouth's Student Volunteer of the Year

The nominees are regularly involved in volunteering, proactively leading the way in organising and developing community engagement projects, enabling students to really make a difference for their communities.

Make Your Mark Challenge – sponsored by City College Plymouth

This is the largest one-day national enterprise competition for secondary schools and colleges/universities in the UK. The award is being given to the winner of entries submitted by enterprising young people from the Plymouth area.

University of Plymouth FLUX Challenge

This fast-paced business competition sees teams of higher and further education students, mentored by advisers from the local business community, competing for their place in the national FLUX championships. This award is presented as part of Plymouth Enterprise Week 2008 to celebrate the winning team's victory and progress through to the national championships in 2009 which are once again being hosted in the city by the University of Plymouth.

Princes Trust Matthew Searle Award – sponsored by City College Plymouth

This award recognises the progression of a young person on a Princes Trust programme in Plymouth, who has overcome significant challenges to achieve success. The award is in remembrance of Matthew Searle who participated in the Princes Trust team and who felt that being part of this was one of the most positive experiences of his life.

Young Enterprise Challenge 2008, special award presented by Tamar Education Business Partnership

This challenge provides the opportunity for students to set up and manage their own real businesses for one academic year. Share capital is raised, students take on the usual director roles and products are marked and sold to the general public.

The Herald's Enterprising Youth in the Community 2008 – sponsored by Apex Care Solutions

This award aims to recognise the hard work of the young people who are helping to make Plymouth a better place. Nominees include those that have been involved in projects at school, at community centres, or at youth clubs.

Plymouth Schools' Enginuity Challenge, special award presented by Paul Hartley

This challenge gives young people in Plymouth a chance to work alongside professional engineers on a project and learn more about engineering. This year's Scylla Challenge involved mixed teams working with electronics as well undertaking marine communication tasks in the dark confines of a ship's hull.

The University of Plymouth Business Ideas Challenge Enterprise Progress Award

Special award from the University of Plymouth for the city's most innovative business idea in 2008

The Schools' Herald Team of the Year – sponsored by the University of Plymouth

This prize is awarded to the school which has produced the best mini newspaper in the past 12 months. Students from schools in and around Plymouth are challenged to come up with their own ideas for stories, research and write them as well as taking their own photographs. The results are printed monthly in The Herald which gives young people a unique voice.

The Herald's Young Ambassador for Plymouth

Special award for the person aged under 18 who has done the most to represent and champion the city of Plymouth

5.30pm: Close