It was never going to be easy. A Spice Girl, a business tycoon, a royal butler, a newspaper editor and an agony aunt huddled around the wooden breakfast table and scratched their heads over the seeming impossibility of the task ahead.
Five people from very different walks of life made up the of The Mirror's Pride of Britain Awards. And they met at Richard Branson's West London home to embark on the mammoth task of choosing the winners from thousands of nominations.
Virgin boss Richard Branson, Spice Girl Mel G, Princess Diana's former butler Paul Burrell, Mirror editor Piers Morgan and our advice columnist Dr Miriam Stoppard agonised, debated and soul-searched for hours before making their final choices.
The awards are to honour people from all walks of life -- from unknown individuals with great courage and dedication to the sportsmen and public figures who have inspired us.
Spice Girl Mel G was impressed by all the stories she heard and was anxious that women were properly represented.
"More and more women are making their mark in the world for all sorts of reasons," she said. "So many are deserving. It's a shame we can't reward them all."
The judges studied a short list of nominees selected from thousands and read the tales of heartbreak, humour and inspiration that took place in 1998. They were moved by true stories of courageous children who risked their lives to save others or battled illness.
Faced with choosing only three winners, Richard Branson sighed: "God, it's impossible."
The judges were astounded by the story of teenager Sarah Dinsdale, who rescued her mother from a fast-flowing river.
They were touched when they heard about 11-year-old Lucy-Rae Tamulevicius, who has learnt to dance while fighting a rare and debilitating form of cancer.
They were humbled by the stories of the bomb victims and rescue workers of Omagh -- and of young Daniel Gallimore, who lost his sight trying to help a man attacked in the street.
There were lifeboatmen, nurses, teachers, charity fund-raisers and outstanding statesmen. Every one was worthy of an award, but only a few could be winners. But it wasn't all tear-jerking. One nomination for Inventor of the year caused Mel G to raise an amused eyebrow: the team who developed Viagra.
New mum Mel couldn't resist making Richard Branson blush by asking him if he'd ever tried it. He firmly told her: "No."
After endless cups of coffee, argument and counter-argument, the winners were finally selected.
The judges also decided to present three special awards for people in the public eye who have been an inspiration to others and were repeatedly nominated.
Richard Branson said: "I think the panel have made the right choices. We've heard inspiring, moving and heart-warming accounts. It's been tremendous."
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