The 8th annual Nectar Business Small Business Awards has launched, with two new categories.
Apprentice of the Year and Best Use of Technology debut as brand new categories in this year’s free to enter Nectar Business Small Business Awards and will be judged by industry leaders including BBC ‘Dragon’, businesswoman and consumer champion, Sarah Willingham.
Nectar Business has been supporting small businesses for over a decade and is once again on the hunt to find the UK’s most outstanding small businesses and celebrate their achievements through the annual Nectar Business Small Business Awards.
The new additions to the Awards reflect the changing business landscape and a need to champion young British talent from the ground up. This now means that SMEs from across the UK have the opportunity to enter;
- NEW: Apprentice of the Year
- NEW: Best Use of Technology
- Small Business of the Year
- Innovation of the Year
- Home Grown Business of the Year
- Entrepreneur of the Year
- Tradesperson of the Year
- Contribution to the Community
Winners from each of the eight categories will receive £2,000 cash, 50,000 Nectar points and will secure a once in a lifetime place at the Awards round table event. Here, they will meet the judging panel, discuss key industry topics and receive tailored advice and insight to help drive their businesses forward.
Willingham will be judging the 2016 Awards with Adam Collett, Marketing Director, Independent, at Brakes; Melissa Snover Burton, previous Nectar Business Small Business Awards winner and Managing Director of Katjes Fassin; Richard Carvell, Director Digital & Direct Marketing at Viking; Shannon Diett, VP Marketing at DHL and Awards host, Will Shuckburgh, Managing Director of Nectar.
Social media will play a vital role in helping determine the winner of the Contribution to the Community Award, with public votes acting as the seventh judge. Facebook fans of the Nectar Business page (facebook.com/nectarbusiness) will be able to watch video case studies of the shortlisted companies and have their say on who they feel should win.
Sarah Willingham comments: “It’s so important to support and champion British small businesses and recognise the drive, commitment and sheer hard work that goes into making them a success.
“For me, the highlight of the Nectar Business Small Business Awards is the round table event; sitting down and getting involved in inspirational conversations with some of the UK’s brightest business minds. I’m confident that we’ll discover more exciting new talent this year and am especially keen to see what the Apprentice of the Year and Best Use of Technology categories offer.”
Will Shuckburgh added: “We’ve gone eight for eight, making the Awards bigger and better to match the calibre of the entries we’ve received year on year, as well as making it easier for even more companies to be rewarded through Nectar Business.”
The Nectar Business Small Business Awards are free to enter and all UK SMEs, social enterprises, charities and entrepreneurs that demonstrate innovative and sustainable businesses are encouraged to visit www.nectarbizhub.com to download an entry form. Completed forms can be returned by email or post by 10 July 2016.
