Deadline for submissions is Sunday, Nov. 30. Nominations can be made on the website www.oabe.ca .

Presented by The Rotary Club of Oakville West with the support of the Oakville Chamber of Commerce, the awards recognize local businesses for the contribution they make to the town’s economic development and for their roles as models of excellence.

Nominations will be evaluated by a panel of judges in the new year. Businesses that are nominated are asked to agree to participate and to supply answers to a number of basic questions that help the judges in their deliberations.

Categories include: Oakville Entrepreneur of the Year, Oakville Restaurateur of the Year, Oakville Small Business of the Year, Oakville Large Business of the Year, Oakville Professional and Service Provider of the Year, and Oakville Environmental Leadership Business of the Year

For more details on the award categories, visit www.oabe.ca .

“The awards program has been going strong for 14 years now,” says Greg Duffy, chair of the OABE organizing committee.

“Not only does the awards program honour top businesses in our community, it is also a valuable fundraiser. Money raised through sponsorships and ticket sales goes to support such important Rotary youth initiatives as the Oakville Awards for Academic Excellence, a scholarship and bursary program for graduating Oakville Secondary School students. Altogether, since its inception, the OABE awards have generated more than $250,000 for local youth initiatives, while honouring more than 150 exceptional Oakville entrepreneurs and businesses.”

The gala awards dinner, to announce the winners and present the prestigious OABE trophies, will be held at Oakville Conference and Banquet Centre on April 2, 2009. Gala tickets go on sale in late January.