Lycetts, the UK's premier countryside insurance broker, and The Field magazine have today announced the five entries short-listed who will meet with judges on 9th September and battle it out to become the Young Rural Entrepreneur of 2008.

In its second year, the competition has once again paid tribute to the efforts of young people across the UK combining a passion for the countryside with a good brain for business. Entries this year ranged from organic farming to specialist food production; sustainable building to conservation schemes; and environmental services including recycling and waste management.

Angus Keate, chief executive of Lycetts, explains how the finalists stood out from the crowd this year, "There was a definite feeling that the overall quality of entries received this year was outstanding. With this award we are looking for a good business idea and an entrepreneurial streak in an individual who may be just setting up, or well on their way to developing a truly sustainable business benefiting the local or wider rural community.

"Those short-listed this year have demonstrated that they are building on their successes with an eye to future sustainability in social, environmental and economic terms. Like The Field, Lycetts is committed to supporting rural business. Indeed, the company works with many clients operating in this sector and as such we have first hand experience of the trials and tribulations such companies encounter. It is hugely rewarding to see so many young people having such a positive impact."

The short-listed finalists are:

Ali Clabburn, aged 33, Liftshare, Norfolk.

A social enterprise set up in 1997 while Ali was a student trying to get home to Norfolk from Bristol for the holidays, Liftshare was the first car sharing scheme of its kind anywhere in the world. His big break came in 1999 when asked to run a scheme to help alleviate local congestion for the Glastonbury Festival, and now ten years later the company provides over 1000 commercial schemes to public and private sector companies, councils, hospitals and universities.

Together with his free nationwide site (www.liftshare.com), the company has over 57 million trips registered over the next 12 months. Ali won the Queen's award for innovation in 2008 and hopes to take his business global from a new carbon neutral HQ currently being built for his growing team in rural Norfolk.

Emily Hammick, aged 30, The European Inn, Dorset.

Emily returned home to Dorset at the start of 2007 and just six months after buying the European Inn and overseeing its restoration, it was named as Dining pub of the Year by Taste of the West. Building on her success with emphasis on local seasonal food from the West Country, Emily has now bought another pub, the Gaggle and Goose, just five miles away.

Emily plans to add guest accommodation and her team has now grown to 25 people. Continuing her good work on home turf, she has also focused her efforts on revitalising the family farm at Wraxall by adding a beef suckler herd and a free range pig unit.

Thomas Hick, aged 27, Allendale Brewing Company Ltd, Northumberland.

After completing his zoology studies, Thomas decided that he didn't want to leave his home county of Northumberland. Spotting the opportunity for micro brewing, he went on to achieve an MSc from Sunderland University's Brew-Lab before setting up Allendale Brewing Company and brewing his first beer on Valentine's Day in 2006 (they have just completed their 125th batch).

The first commercial brewing in Allendale since 1887, Thomas designs all of his beers which are named after local wildlife, and now employs up to 18 people to help him to supply over 100 pubs across the region. He takes his products to beer festivals across the country, and is continually on the lookout for new opportunities. The recent restoration of the local 'brewery tap' Crown at Catton which had been closed for nine years, and his own beer dispensing unit invention for event hire are proof of his ambition.

Geraint Hughes, aged 29, Madryn Ltd, Calon Lan Food Ltd and Bwti Ltd, Gwynedd.

In true entrepreneurial fashion, Geraint has launched three separate businesses over the last three years since leaving his role with the University of Wales at Bangor, where he advised Welsh farmers on developing opportunities with alternative crops and livestock. He set up his first commercial venture, Madryn, in October 2005, a consultancy offering a range of technical expertise in alternative cropping, functional food and bioenergy.

The following year, Geraint launched Calon Lan (Welsh for pure heart), the first company to sell cold pressed Camelina Oil and which last year planted the northernmost olive in Europe, on Anglesey. Determined to have a commercial presence, he opened a local deli with his brothers in Pwllheli, and a second deli will open in August 2008 under the same name, Bwtri, in the busy town of Porthmadog.

Philip Price, aged 28, Loch Visions, Argyll.

After working for an environmental designer in Glasgow, Philip decided that he wanted to work outdoors and set up Loch Visions, a day wildlife and digital photography experience, on his family's redundant small holding of woodland in Argyll. In his third year of business, Philip is predicting 45 per cent growth in 2008 on last year at a difficult time for the tourism industry.

Working closely with farmers, estate owners, rangers and boat operators, Philip uniquely supplies all equipment and has positioned permanent hides, walkways and meadows in the lochside woodland to make it as easy as possible to take great wildlife shots in their natural habitat. With a team of three employees, he also provides lunches using local produce and contracts local suppliers wherever possible.

Jonathan Young, editor of The Field, added: "We are absolutely delighted with this year's entries. They really highlight the dynamism that young entrepreneurs are bringing to rural Britain, with ventures that range from brewing local ales - who could resist a pint of Golden Plover? - to investing in Anglesey's first olive grove.

"As the other finalists demonstrate, it is not only food which draws people to the countryside but a shared interest in the future, bringing life back to communities through restoration of local inns; sustainable tourism or innovative technological approaches to solving environmental concerns."

Those short-listed will present to a panel of judges in London which includes: Financial Times journalist and rural commentator, Heather McGregor; food entrepreneur, Charles Bigham; Jonathan Young, editor of The Field; Angus Keate, chief executive of Lycetts; and Charles Seymour, managing director of Lycetts Rural Division.