Months of work paid off for student businesses today as awards and sales piled up at a Young Enterprise trade fair.

Schools in Northwood stole the show in the Harlequin Centre with Lower Sixth pupils from St Helens and Merchant Taylors School picking up most of the awards for their self-run and funded businesses.

Food 4 Sport, a healthy eating cookbook endorsed by athletes including Lord Sebastian Coe, Linford Christie, Robbie Fowler and Arsene Wenger, won best overall product for Merchant Taylors.

Ben Beck, managing director for the company said: "I was really nervous when we didn't get the best customer service award but am really pleased with our win. This is the first time we've had a chance to sell it and we've already sold sixty in a few hours. It's great that people appreciated our product and the work we put into it."

Slik Trix, also based at Merchant Taylors, won most innovative product with a book of 60 tricks including magic, sport, food and how to rescue a phone that has fallen in the toilet.

They made videos to demonstrate the tricks and got Conn Iggulden, writer of the bestseller The Dangerous Book for Boys to write a preface.

David Mason, director of Slik Trix, said: "We put our different strengths together to make the book. We're very proud of it and we learnt a lot in making it. We ran into a few problems but it all worked out well."

Indulge, a personalised plaque company based in St Helens School, Northwood won best stand.

Managing director, Meghan Jain, said: "It really took a lot of hard work as all of the items are hand made but we were really pleased with it and spent a long time on the stand so it's brilliant to win an award for doing it."

Flat Earth, also based at St Helens school, won best customer service for their handling of a flat packed, brightly coloured hole punch.

Lucy Needleman, of Flat Earth, said: "I screamed so much when we won. You could hear me all over the Harlequin. I can't stop laughing. I'm all flushed. It's amazing to have won the award."

Katy Burke, Project Manager at Young Enterprise, said this year's projects were some of the best she had seen.

She said: "They have all done wonderful jobs and shown people how much hard work and skill they have put into it. The stands look fantastic and we're very proud of everyone."

Woodfield School, Hemel Hempstead, won a special award for jewellery made by students with special needs.

The event was sponsored by KPMG and the Harlequin Centre. Most of the companies' profits will go to charities chosen by the students involved.

For more information about young enterprise, visit, http://www.young-enterprise.org.uk/pub/