Apply for the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise 2021. The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are the most prestigious awards for UK businesses and is a globally recognised royal seal of approval for UK companies.
Deadline
September 22, 2021
The Queen’s Award to Industry, the scheme’s original title, was instituted by Royal Warrant in 1965, with the first Awards announced in 1966. It later became known as the Queen’s Awards for Export and Technology in 1975, before becoming the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise in 1999. Since the Award’s inception in 1965 more than 7,000 companies have won a Queen’s Award.
Categories
The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are for outstanding achievement by UK businesses in the categories of:
- innovation
- international trade
- sustainable development
- promoting opportunity through social mobility
Award
If you win you’ll be:
- invited to a Royal reception;
- presented with the award at your company by one of The Queen’s representatives, a Lord-Lieutenant;
- able to fly The Queen’s Awards flag at your main office, and use the emblem on your marketing materials (for example, on your packaging, advertisements, stationery and website);
- given a Grant of Appointment (an official certificate) and a commemorative crystal trophy.
Eligibility
To apply for the Queen’s Award for Enterprise your organisation must:
- be based in the UK (including the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man)
- 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
- Your organisation can be a business or non-profit.
Each of the award categories has additional entry criteria.
To apply for the International Trade award, you must also:
- have made a minimum of £100,000 in overseas sales in the first year of your entry and show year-on-year growth.
- prove that your organisation has achieved outstanding growth in overseas earnings relative to your business size and sector.
- prove steep year-on-year growth (without dips) in overseas sales over 3 years – or substantial year-on-year growth (without dips) over 6 years.
To apply for the Innovation award, you must also:
- have an innovation that has not been sold before.
- have had your innovation available on the market for at least 2 years.
- have recovered all the investments made in your 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.
Your 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
To apply for the Sustainable Development award, you must also:
- show how you have achieved outstanding sustainable development for more than 2 years.
- provide evidence of the benefits or positive outcomes of your actions or interventions.
To apply for this award, your organisation must also have supported people from disadvantaged backgrounds in improving their job skills and their chances of finding work.
This includes doing one or more of the following, for at least 2 years:
- providing work experience or careers advice
- mentoring
- offering interview and job-related training
- making sure your recruitment process is open to everyone
You’ll need to prove the benefits for:
- the people you’ve supported
- your organisation
- your employees
- the wider community
Application
The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are free to enter. You can apply for more than one award.
You’ll need to:
- create an account and register your details.
- answer questions about your eligibility – this should take less than 15 minutes.
- submit your application by midday on September 22, 2021.
For more information, visit Queen’s Awards for Enterprise.
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