The heat is on in the battle to find the county's best businesses of the year.

A shortlist of finalists has been drawn up in the Oxfordshire Business Awards after they overcame competition from hundreds of entrants to reach the final three in each of the 11 categories.

Judges spent many hours deciding on who would go forward for recognition at the glittering awards ceremony next month, claiming the standard had been exceptionally high this year.

Stephen Dexter, chairman of the judging committee, said: "This year the judging process has been extremely difficult simply because the standard has been exceptional.

"But we are confident we have come to the right decision and look forward to what promises to be a wonderful awards evening with the winners proving the excellence of Oxfordshire businesses."

The shortlist covers a wide spectrum of businesses large and small from across the county.

Familiar names such as Woodstock-based medical equipment manufacturer Owen Mumford and Bicester bakery products manufacturer British Bakels are in the Innovation category.

The Cotswold Wildlife Park at Burford has reached the final three in the Tourism section and Blenheim Estates, the commercial property arm of Blenheim Palace, is in the new Property and Contruction category along with old established Oxford builders Symm and Co and Beard.

But other more suprising entries come from the Oxford Register Office (Customer and Staff Care) and the Oxford Information Centre (Tourism) with thriving small firms such as Banbury-based Gusto Games (Creative) and Milton Park dry cleaners Purple Label (Small Business), also making the list.

The winners of each category along with the overall winner of the Oxfordshire Business of the Year 2006 title will be announced at the dinner held at the Four Pillars Hotel, Sandford, on Friday, June 16.

A limited number of tickets are available for the event which is expected to attract more than 400 guests.

Anyone wanting to attend the dinner should contact Rachel Newman on 01865 799838 or e-mail rachel.m.newman@gtuk. com for more details.

List of finalists: ENVIRONMENTAL: Oakwood Building and Joinery, Benson The Stile Company, Banbury Stewart Milne Timber Systems, Witney TOURISM Cotswold Wildlife Park, Burford Holiday Inn Oxford, Oxford Oxford Information Centre, Oxford INNOVATION British Bakels LimitedBicester Owen Mumford LimitedWoodstock Dalton ID Systems LimitedHenley CHARITY AND COMMUNITY Oxfordshire Mind Oxford Sobell House Hospice CharityOxford Base 33 - Witney Ecumenial Youth TrustWitney CREATIVE Spratley ArchitectsHenley Marketing Team DirectLong Hanborough Gusto Games LimitedBanbury SMALL BUSINESS Riverbank IT Management Limited, Little Haseley Purple Label, Milton Park Spratley Architects, Henley PROPERTY AND CONSTRUCTION BeardOxford Blenheim Palace and Estates, Woodstock Symm & Co Limited, Oxford GROWING BUSINESS Braywood Fulfilment, Witney F W P Matthews, Shipton-under-Wychwood Diagnos.co.uk, Watlington CUSTOMER AND STAFF CARE Opcare, Abingdon Chris Lewis Security Services, Cowley Oxford Register Office (Births, Deaths and Marriages), Oxford YOUNG BUSINESS PERSON Carly Baskott of Connells Estate Agents, Banbury Simon Phillips of Gusto Games, Banbury Natash Clarke of Hair Gallery, Bicester BUSINESS PERSON Kevin Matthews of Oxonica, Yarnton Tracey Hoodless of Champion Recruitment, Oxford Robert Montague of Intermodal Resource, Long Hanborough