Innovation Award

• What is the idea, how is it innovative to your business?
• How was the idea implemented within your business?
• How has the idea impacted upon the business?

Community Award

• How was the need identified and how did your company become involved?
• How is your business involved and what is is its role?
• How has the local community, eg. A school or club benefited as a result?

Growth Business Award

• How does your business fit into the marketplace?
• What is your business' financial figures year on year?
  (This information will be treated as confidential)
• What are your plans and targets to date?
• What did you do to achieve the growth?
• What are your targets for the future?

New Business/ Product Award

• When was your business/ product formed?
• Produce an S.W.O.T analysis together with a brief business plan.
• How has your business performed against your business plan?
• What plan does your business have for the next three years?

Retail Award

• Provide an outline of your business. Who is your customer base and what makes your business special?
• What is the internal staff perception of your business?
• What is the customer perception of your business?
• Provide details of your customer care plan.

Training & Staff Development

• Demonstrate how training links to your business objectives.
• Submit your training plan, with resources, costs and monitoring.
• Specify the training and development actions taken.
• Show what systems you use to evaluate the training.
• Provide examples of how training has benefited staff.
• Provide examples of the business improvements gained from training.
• Explain your future training plans and their reasons.

Green Award

• Describe how you have made your business sustainable or improved its environmental performance, either through a new product, service or initiative.
• How has this impacted on your business, staff, customers or suppliers?
• How were the results measured?
• What was the motivation to become more sustainable and how do you intend to develop your organisation as an environmental champion?

Best Use of Technology Award

• Provide details of the technology used.
• Describe how it was applied in your business.
• Demonstrate how the employment of the technology has improved productivity, new business achieved, new markets or customers gained, or new products developed.

Customer Service Award

• What is your customer care policy both internally and externally?
• How does this differ from the competition?
• Provide a brief case study example.

Outstanding Young Person Award

• State position in the business and describe relevant outstanding achievements to date.
• How has the person impacted upon the business?
• What is the perception of peers, subordinates and customers?

Business Person of the Year Award

• State position in the business and describe relevant achievements to date.
• How has the person impacted upon the business?
• What is the perception of peers, subordinates and customers?

Diversity in Business Award

• Demonstrate how you effectively promote your commitment to diversity.
• Provide a clear internal strategy that reflects diversity from within the workforce and your customer base.
• Demonstrate how your development of staff is fair, effective and non-discriminatory.
• Demonstrate how you have achieved close ties with your local community to ensure recruitment of skilled resources from a variety of backgrounds.
• Demonstrate general adjustments in the workplace which reflect the individual needs of a diverse workforce.

Marketing Award

• The company must have successfully delivered a campaign or initiative to promote a product/service/business and will include one of the following:
• A fully co-ordinated campaign
• A pioneering or creative marketing initiative
• A creative concept used in individual media (eg. Advertising, marketing, website etc.)

Business of the Year

• Show how your business plan has grown in line with or beyond the levels stated in your business plan.
• Show examples of how your business has been innovative within its field of operation and how it separates you from the competition.
• Give clear indication of what your unique selling point is and how you communicate this message to your audience.
• Demonstrate how your company has embraced new technologies to gain a competitive advantage.
• Show how through performance and efficiency you have increased inward investment in staff and resources.
• Show how all the above has impacted upon your customer base.

Apprentice Award

• Examples demonstrating an apprentices' commitment to personal development and progression through learning both at work and in their studies.
• An apprentice who has demonstrated an outstanding contribution to the workplace which has resulted in measurable benefits to the business.
• Examples of the entrant's inspirational qualities and overall character.