Celeb chefs Jamie and Hugh on 2008 Ethical Award shortlist

The 2008 Observer Ethical Awards shortlist was announced on May 1, with celeb food heroes joining campaignin journalists and eco-active kids in the running for the top spots next month.

And New Consumer's sponsored award for best supermarket or online retailer sees established favourites Abel & Cole, Traidcraft and Natural Collection go through to the final round.

Staged in association with Ecover, and with media partnership from New Consumer, the awards are in their third year and have quickly established themselves as a benchmark for the best in ethical business, green campaigning and sustainably-sourced products. The announcement follows the success of the 2006 and 2007 awards, which saw Make Poverty History win Campaign of the Year and Al Gore win Campaigner of the Year. The awards received thousands of entries.

Food heroes Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall and Jamie Oliver both find themselves on the shortlist for celebrity campaigner of the year – thanks to their efforts to expose the battery chicken industry – alongside celebrated campaigning journalist George Monbiot.

Politician of the Year includes Ken Livingstone, who’s also shortlisted for a rather major award today, the post of London mayor!

The entrants were judged by a combination of reader votes and by a celebrity panel, which included Colin Firth, Elle Macpherson and Natalie Imbruglia. The winners will be announced at an award ceremony in London on June 5. For more from Colin Firth – and the impact of celebrities on campaigning for ethical living – check out our May magazine, out now!

The Shortlist in full:

Celebrity Campaigner of the Year

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

George Monbiot

Jamie Oliver

Grassroots Campaigner of the Year

Tricia Barnett

Hardi Baktiantoror

Anna Heywood

Politician of the Year

Caroline Lucas

David Cameron

Ken Livingstone

Best Supermarket/On-line Retailer Initiative of the Year, sponsored by New Consumer

Natural Collection (for their on—line store)

Abel&Cole (for their organic, locally sourced veg box scheme)

Traidcraft (for their commitment to fairtrade)

Best Local Retailer

The Better Food Company

Entrading

Warren Evans

Conservation project of the Year, sponsored by Aveda

COAST: Community of Arran Seabed Trust

St Jude’s Park Public Awareness Project

Camley Street Natural Park

The Do-it-Yourself Award

Martin Peck

Carshalton Grove Eco-Renovation Demonstation Project

Ecover Ethical Kids Award

Isle of Man Tree Planting Project

Balfour Junior School

Munnaan Mohammed

The Jupiter Big Idea Award

EWGECO

Moixa Energy USBCELL

Unpackaged

Ethical Business of the Year, sponsored by Triodos Bank

walkit.com limited

Divine Chocolate Ltd

Equal Exchange

Fashion Product or Accessory of the Year

Izzy Lane

From Somewhere

Finisterre