If a business is to survive, it must evolve, adapt and transform. This award is for companies that have successfully reinvented themselves, adjusting their business model to grasp opportunities, supercharge growth and deliver outstanding results. We will accept entries from businesses that have pivoted during Covid-19, as long the change is for the long- term, and not a short-term tactic.

Entrants should explain the need for the transformation, the journey (including any challenges that were overcome) and the strategic and financial results.

Business isn’t just about profit; it’s also about purpose. This award champions businesses working as a force for good, highlighting their environmental and/or social impact on the wider community. 

Entrants will need to provide details of the work they’re doing, why they’re doing it and the impact it is having (including statistics where appropriate).

Climate change is one of the world’s biggest challenges and businesses can have a huge impact on the necessary shift to a more sustainable future. We’re looking to recognise companies that are leading the way in this area, making real progress with tangible outcomes. Entrants will need to provide details of the work they’re doing, what changes they have implemented and what impact this is having on the environment. 

It has been proven that having a diverse workforce helps generate better ideas and improves the bottom line. This award recognises what companies are doing in one of these key areas, or a unique D&I initiative specific to your business or sector: 

Origin (includes race)

Balance (gender balance, work/life balance)

LGBT+

Mind (mental health and awareness)

Parents & Carers

Neurodiversity (supporting neurodivergent colleagues in the workplace)

Businesses must constantly do new, different, smarter or better things if they are to thrive in a competitive market. This award will recognise organisations that have put effective and inspirational innovation at their heart, creating ground-breaking and revolutionary new products or services with the potential to disrupt and reshape entire industries.

Entrants must be able to demonstrate business growth and market impact with tangible results.

The need for businesses to adopt innovative, agile and transformative technologies was well underway before Covid-19 came along and accelerated the pace of change. This award recognises businesses that have pulled off impressive digital transformations. Judges will be looking for entrants to explain the initial business challenge, what they did to overcome it and show impact (from cost benefits, improved processes to generating new opportunities). 

Even the best strategy won’t get the job done without the right people. Organisations need to recognise and retain their high-performance and high-potential workforce, through initiatives to develop, support and upskill employees.

This award recognises employers that have designed and implemented a future-fit, evidence- based and ethical talent management strategy to address their current and future needs.

Communicating the value of a product or service to its audience through the right messaging is vital to its success. This award acknowledges a company’s original, ground-breaking and effective marketing or PR initiatives that have given it a competitive edge. Judges will be looking for the objectives of the work, the innovation and delivery and how this impacted the business.

In a world where everyone is obsessed with the next big thing, we want to recognise those companies who have consistently performed brilliantly, showing that long-term growth is a winning strategy.

This award recognises any men/women CEOs

who have excelled in providing demonstrated leadership that has been critical to the success of their organisations. Open to all leaders, owners, entrepreneurs, founders, employed professionals, and self-employed women who promote excellence among CEOs and C-Level executives and high professional standards amongst peers.

This award recognises founders who have achieved significant levels of long-term growth and financial performance. We are looking for individuals who have shown clear, strong leadership over the past 12 months and built a strategic vision for the development of their company making it fit for the future.

Open to individuals with under 10 years’ experience who are making a positive change in their organisation. They don’t have to be a certain age, we are happy to accept people who have changed careers later in life, or people who have returned to work after a career break. Judges want to see how the entrant has shown exceptional skill, ambition and impact.

This award recognises strong, cohesive and effective teams that have worked together to make a positive impact on their business.

This award recognises strong new businesses that have been created in the last 5 years. We are looking for companies that have rapidly scaled up, have spotted a gap in the market and seized the opportunity and who are having an impact.

Your written entry is the basis on which you will be judged and shortlisted. Shortlisted start ups will then be given the opportunity to pitch their company to an esteemed ’Dragon’s Den’ style panel of judges to determine the winner.

This award will be awarded to the category winner that, in the judges’ opinion, stands out above all the rest. This category cannot be entered directly and is chosen by the chair of judges.

This award will be awarded to the category winner that, in the judges’ opinion, stands out above all the rest. This category cannot be entered directly and is chosen by the chair of judges.

This award will be awarded to the category winner that, in the judges’ opinion, stands out above all the rest. This category cannot be entered directly and is chosen by the chair of judges.