Deadline: 2 September 2016
Entries are open for The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise that are awarded for outstanding achievement by UK businesses in the following categories:
- Innovation – for commercial success as a result of innovation
- International trade – for growth and commercial success in international trade
- Sustainable development – for commercially successful products, services and management that benefit the environment, society and the economy
- Promoting opportunity – for social mobility programmes that help people from disadvantaged backgrounds into successful working lives.
The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are the UK’s most prestigious enterprise awards. The awards are valid for 5 years.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicant’s organization (business or non-profit) must:
- be based in the UK (including the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man) and file its Company Tax Returns with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)
- be a self-contained enterprise that markets its own products or services and is under its own management
- have at least 2 full-time UK employees or part-time equivalents
- demonstrate strong corporate social responsibility
Each of the award categories has additional entry criteria:
Innovation
To apply for the Innovation award, applicants must also:
- have an innovation that has not been done before
- have had their innovation available on the market for at least 2 years
- have recovered all the investments made in their innovation or show that the innovation will recover its full costs in future
- show outstanding commercial success as a result of innovation over 2 years – or continuous commercial success over 5 years
Applicant’s innovation should be in one of the following categories:
- invention, design or production of goods
- performance of services
- marketing and distribution
- after-sale support of goods or services
International Trade
To apply for the International Trade award, applicants must also:
- have made a minimum of £100,000 in overseas sales in the first year of their entry and show year-on-year growth
- show that their organization has achieved outstanding growth in overseas earnings relative to their business size and sector
- show steep year-on-year growth (without dips) in overseas sales over 3 years – or substantial year-on-year growth (without dips) over 6 years
Sustainable Development
To apply for the Sustainable Development award applicants must either:
- show how their outstanding sustainable development practices have helped to improve their commercial performance over 2 years
- show how their continuous sustainable development practices have helped to improve their commercial performance over 5 years
Applicant’s achievements should be in one of the following categories:
- invention, design or production of goods
- performance of services
- marketing and distribution
- after-sale support of goods or services
- management of resources or relationships with people and other organizations
Promoting Opportunity through social mobility
To apply for the Promoting Opportunity award, applicants must also:
- have had a social mobility programme running for more than 2 years
- show that the programme has had a positive impact on their commercial success over 2 or 5 years (for example, it has improved their reputation or led to savings in the business)
Applicant’s improvements should be in one of the following areas:
- work experience, careers advice or mentoring for young people
- offering non-graduate routes such as traineeships or changing recruitment practices
- giving equal support and progression opportunities to all employees
How to Apply
Applications must be submitted online via the given website.
Eligible Country: United Kingdom
For more information, please visit The Queen’s Awards.