It's over now, the judges have come out of their Swale hideaway and the final 12 businesses have been chosen  Yet again the standard has been very high and the entries diverse with more retailers. The judges will spend a couple of days going around each finalist's company before selecting the final winners.

The gala evening takes place at the Woodstock Club, Sittingbourne on 3 July and the finalists are as follows:

ABC Environmental Ltd

Amethyst

Capital Care (Ian Mynott) Ltd

Chalkwell Garage and Coach Hire Ltd

DRBM Office Solutions

Due Diligence Solutions Ltd

Gerald Lukehurst

NFS ( UK ) Ltd

Proquis

Rodmersham Village Store

The Reynolds Group Ltd

The Safety Training Limited


Sponsors for the event are:

• East Kent Gazette, HSBC, Kent Science Park, McLaughlin Hook, Spain Bros, Swale Borough Council, Thames Gateway (Kent) Chamber of Commerce, University of Kent and Swale Borough Council