This category challenges the top apprentices and trainees within the area to come forward and show how apprenticeships and trainee programmes have made a real difference to their organisation and careers. The award will recognise apprentices or trainees who have made a significant contribution to their workplaces.

We want to hear from new businesses with big ambitions. This category rewards businesses that have been trading for less than 3 complete financial years. Judges will be looking for the “X Factor” of a new idea or new business concept.

This Business Award was created to recognise the business personality who best represents achievement and longevity. Synonymous with his or her business sector in the area, the award acknowledges the winner’s sustained achievements within the business community during a distinguished career.

We're looking for an outstanding business whose growth, ambition and quality of management has enabled it to outperform its peers in a variety of areas including (but not limited to) high level financial performance metrics, strategic planning, diversity and inclusion, people development including training and wellbeing and community engagement including Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) initiatives. This category is open to entries from businesses with more than 10 employees.

We're looking for an outstanding business whose growth, ambition and quality of management have enabled it to outperform its peers in a variety of areas, including (but not limited to) financial wellbeing, company strategy, diversity and inclusion, people development and community engagement. This category is open to entries from businesses with fewer than 10 employees.

This award recognises a business or business person who has made a positive contribution to the local community, making an extra effort to bring the community together or those who go out of their way to help others or a charity. The award is for those who make an outstanding contribution to the community or improving the locality for the benefit of everyone.

This award recognises individuals and teams who have demonstrated exceptional customer service and follow through by delivering ‘above and beyond’ customer expectations.

Nominees for this award will have gone the extra mile in their job to achieve something amazing in work, or have overcome adversity in their life and continued to be an asset and role model to others within their organisation.

This category celebrates individuals who have chosen West Suffolk as their base to extend their services regionally, nationally or internationally and will shine a light on the home office and the hot desk. Freelancers are often the hidden gems that make a significant contribution to our economy and demonstrate a way of working with little or no carbon footprint and agility to push the traditional boundaries of the 9-5. The winner of this award will have made a lasting impact, whether in their sector or on a specific client project, and will demonstrate their contribution to the success of others as well as their own success as a freelancer.

The judges are looking to celebrate those organisations and individuals undertaking genuinely unique work that can be emulated by the wider business community and serve to drive green growth. As such, each entry will be judged against three overarching criteria: innovation, applicability and overall improvement in environmental performance.

Businesses entering the West Suffolk award MUST be based within the geography of the West Suffolk Council area. 

This award recognises a business or individual within a business that has made/continues to make investment into West Suffolk. 

The award winner may be a small family business that continues to grow in the area; a larger business that has flourished and grown from its West Suffolk base; an individual who continues to be an ambassador for the area; a commitment to staff and skills development; a wider contribution to the West Suffolk community through the creation of a Social Enterprise or the delivery of a programme of Corporate Social Responsibility, or indeed, a number of the above.

The West Suffolk Award for Innovation celebrates West Suffolk businesses who are actively investing in Research & Development, delivering innovative products and solutions within their sector.

Judges would like to recognise the excellence achieved by the area’s leading companies. If you are an innovative, forward-thinking company, then we want to hear from you. Any business based within West Suffolk, regardless of industry sector, can enter this award.

This award recognises a business person whose culture and commercial principles are targeted at bringing a greater good and solving social challenges for our local communities. The award is for those business people in West Suffolk that have made a positive difference to the area with pioneering ideas and approaches with a sustainable and lasting business model.