Categories
Apprenticeship Development of the Year
This award seeks to recognise the Plymouth businesses that are making a major contribution to the apprenticeship programme by using apprentices or encouraging their use elsewhere. Any type of company or organisation could be included, but it must be employing apprentices or helping other firms with their apprenticeship programme. Training providers will only be considered if they can explain how they are developing the use of apprenticeships.
Judges will be looking for examples of how the business has adapted to a changing marketplace and its strategy for the future.
Built Environment and Infrastructure Award
This award seeks to recognise the Plymouth businesses that are making a major contribution to the city’s built environment and its infrastructure development. This could include buildings, landscaping, transport networks, or even digital development. Firms could be working in construction, architecture, demolition, landscaping, supply chain operations such as scaffolding or equipment supply, or even painting and decorating.
Judges will be looking for examples of how the business has adapted to a changing marketplace and its strategy for the future.
Corporate Social Responsibility Award
This award will recognise the business who has demonstrated responsible business practices across the four areas of the local community, environment, their people and supply chain.
Judges will look for evidence of a contribution to the overall well-being of the community, its environment and general quality of life. Applicants must demonstrate a working partnership using positive influences to support suppliers and other partners to adopt the best environmental, workplace and community practice.
Diversity and Inclusion Award
This award recognises organisations for harnessing a truly diverse workforce that excels in their commitment to equality and inclusion across all strands of diversity. The category will cover excellence in all areas of diversity including age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, race and religion.
The judges will be looking for a vanguard in business that can demonstrate an effective inclusion and diversity strategy that goes beyond legal compliance and seeks to add value to an organisation, contributing to employee wellbeing and engagement.
Entries must demonstrate how the business has gone above and beyond their corporate social responsibility, shown commitment and dedication to equality, can exhibit positive results on the organisational culture and prove that they are a true champion of diversity and inclusion.
Environmental Success Award
With Plymouth declaring a climate emergency and aiming to be carbon neutral by 2030 we are seeking applications from businesses leading in environmental sustainability within the city. This is a clean growth award that identifies the steps taken by Plymouth businesses to reduce their CO2 emissions and develop products that will help address the global climate challenge. This could include waste reduction, biodegradable product development, investment in commercial infrastructure or efforts to reduce road miles for staff and products.
Innovation Award
This award celebrates new ideas, processes, products, services, technologies and applications that have had an impact on an organisation's success over the past 12 months.
Applications will be measured against:
- Originality of the innovation, its impact, practicality of its application and the measurable benefits to the business.
- All aspects of an innovative new product/service launch, including research and development, launch activity and the actual or likely commercial success of the product/service.
- Key success factors will include; degree of innovation, time taken to market, design process/best practice, market edge, USP, potential for growth/competition and profitability.
- Other factors might include job creation/safeguarding, environmental sustainability, use of teamwork, project management capability, customer delight/novelty factor and use of market research. Development to prototype stage only is expressly excluded from this award.
Manufacturing Business of the Year
This award seeks to recognise the Plymouth businesses that are making things happen. The type of business and items produced do not matter. What is important is innovation, design, quality, efficiency, sales flair – and all the other skills needed to be a manufacturing winner. Judges will be looking for examples of how the business has adapted to the changing marketplace and its strategy for the future.
The judges will be looking at all aspects of the company's performance, paying particular attention to:
- Managerial and financial performance.
- Evidence of success against targets set.
- Potential for growth.
- Long-term plans and company strategy.
- Product and service development.
Accounts will be required but all information supplied will be treated in absolute confidence.
Lifetime Achievement Award
This award will go to the business person who has made a positive and lasting contribution to their business, the local economy and community – over a number of years.
Our judges want to hear about individuals who have made a lasting contribution to and made a significant impact to the region’s business community.
SME Business of the Year
This will be awarded to a profitable, growing business, of up to 150 employees, which has had a positive impact on the region's economy.
The judges will be looking at all aspects of a company's performance, paying particular attention to:
- Managerial and financial performance.
- Evidence of success against targets set.
- Potential for growth.
- Long-term plans and company strategy.
- Product and service development.
- Staff training and development.
Accounts will be required but all information supplied will be treated in absolute confidence.
Social Enterprise Award
This award seeks to recognise the Plymouth businesses that are making a major contribution to the city’s economy – and community – by being a social enterprise. This could include companies of any size, but firms must explain what the business does, how they are constituted, for example are they community interest companies or not-for-profit businesses, and how they benefit the community – in other words, what is the social part of the enterprise.
Judges will be looking for examples of how the business has adapted to a changing marketplace and its strategy for the future. Please use these following questions as a guide in preparing your entry submission.
Start-Up Business of the Year
The Start-Up Business of The Year award will go to an organisation that:
- Has been established within the past three years (August 2018).
- Demonstrates evidence of entrepreneurship and/or innovation.
- Has defied challenging economic conditions to succeed, grow and thrive.
- Can evidence solid business plans, future growth potential and a determination to succeed.
The judges will take into consideration managerial performance, sales growth, profit achievement, number of people employed and evidence of a satisfied customer base.
Accounts will be required but all information supplied will be treated in absolute confidence.
Young Business Person of the Year
This award is open to young entrepreneurs aged 30 and under (by 1st January 2021) who have shown flair, resilience and wisdom beyond their years in building their own business or working for a major employer.
Judges will be looking for evidence of commercial success, ambition, energy, skill and vision. Please use these following questions as a guide in preparing your entry submission.
