Welcome

I am delighted to announce the launch of the Express & Echo’s Teen Awards 2011.

It is an absolute pleasure to be able to stage this event for the second year in succession and to recognise the valuable contribution young people make to society.

The Teen Awards were inspired by our popular Teen Team page which appears every Friday in the Echo.

It’s an initiative that has already won one national award and has been shortlisted in the Campaign of the Year category of the EDF Energy South West Media Awards 2011.

When we launched the awards last year, we were taken aback by not only the number but also the quality of the entries.

This year we have added four more categories and we are planning to make the celebrations bigger and better.

However, none of this would have been possible without the support of our sponsors: Ashfords; City of Science Consortium; EDF Energy, Exeter College, Mainline, Razzamataz Theatre Schools, Wales & West Utilities and Western Power Distribution.

Like us, they know that the vast majority of young people are a credit to their generation and are committed to recognizing and celebrating their achievements.