The Press Business Awards 2011 - Information, profiles, pictures, finalists, winners

Sponsored by:

Small Business Of the Year

Open to those businesses in the region which have been trading for more than a year and have a turnover of less than £3 million.

Submissions may include:

• Sound financial performance
• Staff development
• Customer service
• The way in which the business has developed
• The prognosis for future success
• The impact the venture has had on jobs and the community

Sponsored by:

Think Green Business Of The Year

Open to all businesses in the region which consciously strive to improve the environment.

Submissions may include:

• Details of best practice adopted to ensure environmental awareness
• Ways sought and found to minimise the impact of operations on the environment
• Ways in which the local community has been enhanced or protected
• Any "green" partnerships you may have forged
• How market was researched

Sponsored by:

New Business Of The Year

Open to start-up businesses which have been in existence for up to a year.

Submissions may include:

• Concept of the business
• Market research undertaken
• Business plan/main objectives
• Budgets/finance/professional advisers in place
• Operational issues/human resources/space/suppliers/manufacturing processes
• Sales and marketing plan
• Distribution system
• Credit/training terms
• Use of IT
• Management of the company

Sponsored by:

Retailer Of The Year

Submissions may include all the “five “P”s of retail:

• People – ie levels of customer service: Staff passionate about the product? Do they understand it? Levels of product knowledge? Can staff interpret and engage with customers' needs?
• Product - The product range, quality of offering , relevance to target market
• Price – Are pricing levels in line with the quality of offer and target market? Evidence of delivering a profit
• Placement - Shop environment, distribution channels, location, layout, presentation of product, customer accessibility, retail “theatre.”
• Promotion – Evidence of the relevance of promotions. Do they excite the shopper and encourage spend? How well promoted are they? Examples of innovative marketing ideas.

Sponsored by:

Young Business Entrepreneur Of The Year

Open to anyone aged under 30, whether a sole trader, part of a partnership, limited company or plc, where the venture or a significant part has been successful due to the drive, enthusiasm and vision of an individual, either by themselves or as driving force of a team of people.

Submissions may include:

• Nature of the business/venture
• Motivation of the individual
• Resources available and how problems/issues were overcome
• How the individual made the difference
• Evidence of success

Sponsored by:

Science and Technology Business Of The Year

This award is open to any business operating in one of the three Science City York clusters: bioscience, healthcare and environmental technologies; the creative industries; and IT and digital technologies.

Submissions may include:

• Businesses with a product or service offering based on science or technology, or businesses using innovative science or technology to achieve their objectives, may apply.
• Applicants should be able to provide evidence of improved business performance from use of science or technology, e.g. sales growth or increased profitability.
• Businesses should also be able to demonstrate how a commitment to utilising and developing the local workforce has contributed to their success.
• The award is open to any business that has been trading for at least a year.

Sponsored by:

Women in Enterprise Award

Open to all women in business that own and/or manage an enterprise in North Yorkshire of any size. The judges will primarily be looking for evidence of success in business as well as how the winner has acted as a role model for women.

Submissions may include:

• How your business has performed against its objectives
• Evidence of sound financial performance
• Examples of how your leadership has made a difference
• Any gender specific issues that you have had to overcome
• Any advantages that you feel your gender has given your business

Sponsored by:

Business Personality Of The Year

Open to all businesses in the region which want to nominate the man or woman demonstrating inspired leadership. Individuals may be considered from all entries in other categories, but specific nominations by the leaders themselves, their colleagues or contacts are welcomed.

Submissions may include:

• How the leader of the organisation galvanises staff.
• Examples of their flair and method for getting things achieved
• The general style of leadership
• Evidence of the firm's success under the nominee's leadership
• What makes the nominee different from other men or women
• The role and responsibilities of the leading personality in the business
• An outline of his or her personal achievements
• Personal challenges which were successfully overcome

Sponsored by:

Tourism & Hospitality Business Of The Year

Open to all businesses in the region designed to welcome, entertain and serve visitors.

Submissions may include:

• Systems in place to ensure and improve customer service excellence
• Examples of regular review and improvements to your product or service
• Clarity of business goals, innovation and investment
• How you market yourself
• How you are helping to draw visitors to York or North and East Yorkshire
• How your plans came to fruition

Sponsored by:

Best Business and Higher Education Link

Open to those businesses in the region which have successfully forged positive links with Higher Education Institutions (HEI), such as universities and colleges offering HE qualifications.

Submissions may include:

• The nature of your business, its work with a HEI and how it came about
• The benefits to your organisation from this activity
• How your work has developed new or innovative business or technical processes or helped students develop themselves and their careers
• The approaches you adopted to building your business and HEI link, how this has been received and your strategy to sustain it.

Sponsored by:

Family Business Of The Year

This category is open to all established family businesses.

Submissions may include:

• How they have successfully moved the business forward in the preceding 12 months.
• Examples of good practice and possibly learning experiences that can inspire and encourage other family businesses to succeed.

Sponsored by:

Large Business Of The Year

Open to all companies with annual turnover of at least £3 million which can demonstrate outstanding organisation, exceptional financial returns, strong growth and innovation strategies plus market prowess in its sector.

Submissions may include:

• The success of your principal products and services
• How you market them
• Obstacles faced and overcome
• Strategies to motivate and upskill staff
• Future strategy for maintaining growth and dynamism
• Responsibility to the community

Sponsored by:

Best Business and Community Link

Open to businesses which have forged positive links with the local community, and offer their staff opportunities to improve the lives of others.

Submissions may include:

• The nature of your business, its work within the community and how it came about
• The long-term value of the work to the community
• The efforts the business has taken to instill community values in its workforce and culture
• How the activities have been tailored to meet the needs of the business and its staff
• How the relationship is being developed to provide sustainable support for the community

Sponsored by:

Best Employer and Education Link

Open to those businesses in the region that have successfully forged positive links with schools and other educational establishments.

Submissions may include:

• The nature of your business, its education link and how it came about
• Why you feel it is important to dedicate the business's resources to supporting young people with their learning
• How the link has helped young people become aware of opportunities to develop themselves and their careers
• The benefits to your organisation of engaging with young people and education professionals
• The approach you adopt to building your business and education link, and how this has been received.

Sponsored by:

Lifetime Achievement Award

There are no submissions for this award, which is internally decided by the judges, although separate suggestions would always be welcome.

If you are interested in sponsoring an award category, contact Sharron Fenny on 01904 567169