The tenth annual Young People of the Year in Hertfordshire has launched.

A decade on since the first YOPEYs, founder Tony Gearing now holds the awards in every part of Hertfordshire with the finals held at County Hall.

And the movement has also spread across a dozen counties in England, London and the whole of Schotland.

In 2010 Mr Gearing merged all the Hertfordshire YOPEYs into one county-wide competition and has repeated this every year since.

Watford MP Richard Harrington said: "I met YOPEY participants at a local care home and I was really heartened by their befriending project at the home.

"The young people learnt so much from their new friends, and residents were really enjoying the visits."

David Gauke, MP for South West Herts and financial secretary to the Treasury, said: "Congratulations to YOPEY on its tenth anniversary and all that it has done to highlight so many exceptional young people in our part of the world."

2015 will be the first year two Hertfordshire young people will be made Young People of the Year. A senior YOPEY, aged 18 to 25, will win £500, and a junior YOPEY, aged 10 to 17, will win £300.

There will also be several runners-up prizes each worth £100. All the prizes will include money for the young people to invest in their good causes and money to treat themselves.

It will also be the first time that a joint awards ceremony will be held with Cambridgeshire.

Mr Gearing said: "With your help, YOPEY will ‘Reveal, Recognise and Reward’ fantastic young people who give to others.

"It’s about giving respect to young people who deserve it and setting them up as positive role models for other young people."

This year’s YOPEY is sponsored by Mitsubishi Electric of Hatfield, Smith-Milne & Co accountants of Rickmansworth, Orange Amplification of Borehamwood, Johnson Matthey of Royston, and Runwood Homes with several care homes in Hertfordshire.

This YOPEY is also supported by two housing associations, B3Living of Broxbourne and East Herts, and North Hertfordshire Homes.

Entries close on April 30 and nominations can be made online at yopey.org or post an SAE to Woodfarm Cottage, Bury Road, Stradishall, Newmarket CB8 8YN, for a paper form.