STORIES of heroism, courage, brilliance and achievement are wanted once again as the Star unveils the date for the Solarking Pride of St Helens Awards 2014.

The St Helens Star and the Steve Prescott Foundation have confirmed plans for the third ceremony following the resounding success of the past two years.

Saints’ Langtree Park will again be turned into the glittering venue for the awards night on Friday, November 7.

The first celebration of the town’s community stars took place in 2012 and was declared a resounding success – prompting the SPF and media partners the Star to make it an annual fixture.

Martin Blondel, general manager of the SPF, said: “Pride of St Helens has been an overwhelming success over the last couple of years – and shouting about all the great people and organisations in this town is something St Helens needs.

“Steve attended the inaugural event in 2012 and I know he got immense satisfaction from the night going so well and took inspiration from many of the nominees. But just with events like the St Helens 10K he wanted us to strive to make it even better – a truly spectacular celebration of what is best about St Helens.

"And while that won’t be easy, rising to a challenge is what this charity Chris O’Dea, Callum Chadwick and Josh Jump, who were the winners of last year’s Young Community Star is all about.”

Past winners of the flagship Solarking Pride of St Helens Award include triple amputee ex-soldier Andy Reid and charity Willowbrook Hospice.

Andrew Kilmurray, acting editor of the St Helens Star, added: “We want to highlight the wonderful stories of courage, talent, generosity, achievement and efforts against the odds. Some of those we report on in the Star every week, but I’m sure there are many other inspiring tales out there waiting to be told.

“It still saddens me on occasions to hear people say dismissively ‘what is there to be proud about in St Helens?’.

“There is a vast amount of talent out there in St Helens and an incredible number of unsung heroes and unheralded achievers who do amazing things every day. What we need our readers to do now is to step forwards and tell us who they are.”

Solarking, the green energy company, has already agreed to be headline sponsor again.

A full list of categories are below:

Solarking Pride of St Helens Award: The night’s premier award will salute a man or woman who our judges believe has made an outstanding and lasting contribution to St Helens.

St Helens Chamber Excellence in Business: Successful businessmen and women are critical to making St Helens prosper and providing job opportunities. Our winner could be someone with a stellar track record, an outstanding entrepreneur or someone who has grafted their way to the top.

Saints Sportsperson of the Year: Whose achievements in the sporting arena have been the brightest over the past year? We want nominations from all sporting fields - from amateurs to professionals, and from coaches and players.

OD’s Community Hero: Which person has made the biggest difference to our communities? They may have improved a neighbourhood or led a campaign.

Mentor of the Year: Teacher, lecturer, coach or tutor? Who has inspired in the classroom, the sports field, or the music hall? Let us know about those who have inspired others.

Glass Horse Courage Award: Every year the Star runs stories telling of the heroism, courage or bravery of people from this town. But many others must go untold. Nominees could have performed a dramatic rescue or maybe they’ve overcome illness or injury to record inspiring achievements.

Haydock Park Child of Courage: we are searching for nominees who have shown immense courage in the face of adversity. Courage comes in different shapes – is it a child who has battled illness, performed an act of bravery or done something truly remarkable while up against the odds.

Portico Nursery Young Community Star: Who are the unsung youngsters making a difference in our communities? It could be a remarkable community volunteer, a member of a club that has gone the extra mile, someone who has showed true kindness or immense bravery that has made a difference.

Sure Move Emergency Services Hero: Every day 999 crews perform incredible work. But whose work has gone above and beyond the call of duty? Share their amazing stories with us.

Scoff’s champion Fundraiser: Charities local and nationally survive and thrive on the cash raised by big-hearted fundraisers. We don’t just want to hear who has raised the most, but how they have done it, what difference has it made and why it has inspired you.

Imperial Arts Awardr: Often St Helens is guilty of not shouting loud enough about those who have achieved remarkable things in the world of stage, screen, and music. We want to hear about bright young things and those who have made it to the very top.

St Helens Council Sportsperson of the Year: Which of St Helens sporting juniors have recorded the biggest achievement? In a town with so much talent we would expect a deluge of entries. Tell us who stands out? (Nominees must not have reached their 19th birthday by October 31.)

Find out how you can nominate here.