Entry open for the Cambridge Independent SME Cambridgeshire Business Awards 2024
Want to showcase the achievement of your business?
The Cambridge Independent SME Cambridgeshire Business Awards 2024 are now open for entry.
Covering the whole of Cambridgeshire, the awards feature categories including Best New Business and Business of the Year to Employer of the Year and the Service Excellence award.
There are categories covering websites, retail business, family businesses, networking groups, community businesses, apprentice employers and innovation, among others.
Entrants can enter up to three categories.
To be eligible, a company must be based in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and be a small or medium-sized organisation, meaning up to 250 employees.
Finalists will be invited to attend a black-tie awards dinner at the five-star Cambridge Country Club in Bourn on Thursday, 20 June.
And once again, many of the winners will go forward to the National SME Business Awards, which will be held towards the end of the year in Wembley.
Editor Paul Brackley said: “SMEs remain the lifeblood of our economy, which is why it is so important that we celebrate their successes. The awards event is always a terrific evening and winning one of these awards is not only a pat on the back for employees, but a great way to spread the word about your business and its triumphs.
“I would encourage all SMEs in the county to take a look at the categories and submit an entry. We look forward to seeing your entries!”
Bidwells, the property consultancy, is among our sponsors this year.
Elizabeth Craig, head of Cambridge office at Bidwells, said: “We are proud to sponsor the SME Cambridgeshire Business Awards, championing innovation and excellence in the local business community. As advocates for growth and success, we are excited to celebrate the remarkable achievements of small and medium enterprises across Cambridgeshire.”
To find out more, and enter the awards, visit cambridgeshireawards.co.uk.
To find out about sponsorship opportunities, contact paul.brackley@iliffemedia.co.uk.
You can see the 2023 winners here.
The Categories
Apprentice Employer of the Year
Our criteria to win this award is simple – tell us how you as an employer look after your apprentices so they take care of your business.
Best Enterprising Business
Winners in this category won’t be standing still and doing the same old things, they’ll be moving and shaking, leading in their markets. In terms of this category, enterprise can be defined as showing initiative and willingness to undertake new projects.
Best New Business
You’ve come into business in the last 2 years (start date on or after the 1st January 2022) with a bang and are really getting noticed for what you do. Tell us what makes you the best of a great new crop.
Business Innovation
Innovation in your business means doing something new, different, smarter or better that will make a positive difference. Innovation therefore ranges from implementing a time-saving office procedure to a brand new product.
Business of the Year – Less than 50 Employees
This award will go to the business that can show outstanding initiative, boldness and imagination in the enterprise, as well as sound management practices. Entrants to this award will be expected to demonstrate sustainable growth combined with a degree of commercial success that is exceptional for the size of the business. Entrants in this category must have less than 50 employees, with part-time or temporary staff counting as 0.5.
Business Person of the Year
This award will go to a business person or entrepreneur who shows outstanding initiative, boldness and imagination in the enterprise, as well as sound management practices. Entrants to this award will be expected to demonstrate sustainable growth combined with a degree of commercial success that is exceptional for the size of the business. Our judges will be looking for entrepreneurial skills and evidence of how they have seen opportunities and are striving in their business.
Business Woman of the Year
This award will be presented to the best female business owner or a female who has had a positive impact on a business/es. They will show how they have exceptional drive to succeed and how they have been integral to making the business or businesses a success.
Community Business of the Year
This category celebrates both community businesses and not for profit organisations. What these businesses have in common is that their focus is on positively benefitting society. All profit from a community business is reinvested in the local area and all profit from a charitable organisation goes to fulfilling their objectives.
Employer of the Year
Explain how you as an employer look after your employees so they take care of your business.
Family Business of the Year
The winners of Family Business of the Year will be combining their passion in business with their shared family values. Your business may have been passed down to you or you have started a business to pass on to your children in the future. The judges will be looking at how you can grow your business while still keeping your core family values at the centre of everything you do.
Networking Group of the Year
Networking has become a very important part of many marketing and sales strategies. The judges will want to know if you are an independent or part of a franchise or national network, the history behind your formation, the people involved, numbers attracted and your vision for the future. Go on – prove your group is the best…
Retail Business of the Year
The judges of the Retail Business of the Year category are looking for the businesses that exceed customers’ expectations, build long-term customer relationships and provide a service that is consistently outstanding. Retail Business of the Year includes any businesses who sell products or services directly to consumers.
Service Excellence
The winner of this category will give outstanding assistance and advice to those who buy or use the business or organisation’s products or services. They will be able to provide customer testimonials to back up their submission.
Website of the Year
Irrespective of your size, your website says it all. It should look great, be really easy to navigate, showcase whatever it is you do but most importantly, it should engage the viewer and keep them on your site for as long as you need them.
Young Business Person of the Year
For business people aged 30 or less (by 1 January, 2024) who have demonstrated a high degree of entrepreneurship, creativity and vision for the future. The judges will be looking to identify an individual who has set up a business or had a significant influence in it, who has set and achieved objectives within its business plans and established a position of sustainable profitability and success. The judges will want to see an understanding of the relationship between the individual’s development and the success of the business.
Enter via our dedicated awards website now.
