91Èȱ¬

Ahead of the 91Èȱ¬ Radio 1 Teen Awards this Sunday 14 November the nominees for the three Teen Hero Award categories have been revealed.

After calling upon the nation to nominate inspirational teenagers last month, the station received hundreds of entries featuring stories of young people who have overcome astonishing circumstances and made a difference to the lives of their friends, family or local community.

The nominations for Teen Hero, Teen Community Hero and Teen Entrepreneur have been discussed and shortlisted by Radio 1 and a panel of industry insiders, experts and celebrities including Radio 1's Aled Haydn Jones, Radio 1Xtra's Gemma Cairney, X-Factor winner Joe McElderry, Professor Green and Tim Loughton MP.

These very special Teen Hero awards will be presented at the Hammersmith Apollo this Sunday alongside the awards for top stars from the music and entertainment world in 2010. The star-studded event, hosted by Fearne Cotton and Nick Grimshaw, will feature performances from Katy Perry, JLS, Taylor Swift, The Wanted and Professor Green.

The nominations in full are:

Teen Entrepreneur

Fidel, 17, from Kent, attracted a following on Bebo with daily Christian messages of inspiration. He is now working to turn this following into a market for Christian-themed clothing and has sold over 50 units of his range of t-shirts and hooded tops.

Jack, 16, from Maidenhead, spotted a niche market in his local area: rearing rare breeds of chickens in humane, free-range conditions for sale to local families to keep in their gardens; and developing a system so that eggs can be harvested to provide future generations with marketable livestock.

Joseph, 17, from Lincolnshire, made money from an IT support business, which he went on to reinvest in an air travel business which looks set to make him the youngest ever airline owner with ambitions to launch an equivalent company in other countries.

Teen Community Hero

Alex, 17, from Ashton-Under-Lyne, caught Meningitis when he was seven and lost the use of his legs. He's now a wheelchair basketball player with Olympic ambitions, a sport ambassador for his local area, a charity fundraiser and also helps other disabled children.

Joe, 17, from Bedfordshire, is a local activist with a long list of achievements for his community. His work and campaigning have made a difference to his school, Scout group, housing estate (where he runs a youth café) and have also had a regional impact.

Josh, 14, from Norfolk, started SNYA Radio in Norfolk – a radio station for young people, run by young people. Josh had the initial idea, secured £48,000 of funds to make it happen and now runs the station.

Lauren, 12, Sussex, was born with Spina Bifida and doctors thought she may never walk. However, she proved them wrong, and at the age of eight became a keen local fundraiser as well as an ambassador for the Whizz Kidz charity.

Teen Hero

When Callum's brother died of cancer, Callum, 13, from Cambridgeshire, used Twitter to arrange a 1000-mile cycle ride which raised £11,500 for the CLIC Sargent cancer charity and has also received a Diana Award in recognition of his tireless fundraising efforts.

Connor's friend Rob died suddenly while the two were together in October. Connor, 15, from Plymouth, had to run to fetch Rob's parents and in the days that followed, Connor consoled countless members of Rob's family and school friends and helped lead the school in mourning. He is also dealing with the terminal illness of his grandmother.

After an accident left Connor, 16, from Sunderland, with 90 per cent burns he was medically induced into a coma and has had close to 100 operations. Connor was thought to be close to losing his battle to live on six occasions but he fought to survive against all odds and now fronts a campaign for fire safety.

Rhys, 15, from Cardiff, was recently diagnosed with Crohn's disease. Looking online for help, he came across a dangerous hoax "cure" for Crohn's and is now leading a successful internet campaign to get it banned across the UK and the world.

Sarah, 17, from London, recorded herself singing Paolo Nutini's "Autumn" on the night her mother died from cervical cancer in February this year. She uploaded it to the internet, where it has had over 418,000 hits and helped raise over £430,000 for the charity that she set up with her father to help fund research into a cure.

Ben Cooper, Deputy Controller, Radio 1, says: "The stories we've received about teenagers from across the UK are truly inspirational and heart-warming. We're proud to be bringing their stories to our audiences via Radio 1 and 91Èȱ¬ Three."

The 91Èȱ¬ Radio 1 Teen Awards will be shown on 91Èȱ¬ Three at 7pm on Wednesday 17 November.

Already this year, Radio 1 has delivered impactful social action campaigns around volunteering and body image and ahead of the awards ceremony, The Surgery, fronted by Aled Haydn Jones will focus on the lives of a number of teenagers from across the United Kingdom who inspire others.

91Èȱ¬ Radio 1 is available on FM, DAB, Digital TV and online at bbc.co.uk/radio1.

Notes to Editors

Criteria for the Teen Hero Award categories:

Teen Hero

The criteria to qualify for nomination is that the nominee must have acted in one or more of the follow ways: (i) acted selflessly, (ii) inspired others, (iii) acted with courage and bravery, or (iv) ensured a positive outcome for an individual or family member.

Teen Community Hero

The criteria to qualify for nomination is that the nominee must have acted in one or more of the follow ways: (i) inspired the local community to provide something remarkable for the community or individual (ii) made an outstanding contribution to the local community.

Teen Entrepreneur

The criteria to qualify for nomination is that the nominee must have initiated a successful, innovate or profitable product, business model or company or (ii) worked with an existing company or organisation to enhance their business considerably.

Social Action Campaigns on Radio 1

Radio 1 and 91Èȱ¬ Radio 1Xtra's social action campaigns are an integral part of the stations' ethos and service to young people – offering support networks/information and a platform for young people to give their opinions.

The stations have an exceptional reputation for raising awareness of different topics and for the information they provide. Recent campaigns have included anti-bullying, body image, volunteering and the Summer Surgery.

On Radio 1, Sunday evening (9-10pm) plays host to The Surgery, presented by Aled Haydn Jones. This features debates and specials covering relevant citizenship and topical themes.

The programme content offers support and access to experts such as Dr Mel, who specialises in medical and emotional issues, and Dr Stuart, who helps with sexual health and relationship problems.

Radio 1's daily Newsbeat provides a comprehensive service targeted at young audiences, explaining key issues and offering opportunities for people to express their views.

Teenage depression, interest rates and the credit crunch, plus the debate around the reclassification of cannabis, are among the subjects that have generated significant audience feedback.

ER