A few hours left to enter 19th annual Rutland & Stamford Mercury Business Awards

There are just a few hours left to get your name into the ring for our Mercury Business Awards.

This year will mark our 19th annual event - the longest established awards of their kind in the area, recognising the very best businesses across Stamford, Rutland, Bourne and the Deepings.

The event, sponsored by Hegarty, will be held at The Pavillion at Rutland Hall Hotel on Friday, September 27, where the finalists in our 10 categories will be treated to a drinks reception, sponsored by Rutland Hall Hotel, followed by a delicious meal. The winners will then be unveiled during a glittering awards ceremony.

Today the website www.mercurybusinessawards.co.uk opens for nominations and with 10 categories up for grabs, no matter what your line of business, there is bound to be something for you.

Editor Kerry Coupe said: “Last year’s awards were our first at Rutland Hall Hotel and it was an incredibly special night so we are delighted to be returning there for our celebrations.

“Every year we have a fantastic array of businesses apply and we cannot wait to see who puts themselves forward this year. You’ve got to be in it to win it!”

Readers and businesses can fill out a simple nomination form online. From there, a comprehensive nomination pack will be sent out to the nominated businesses and these must be filled out and returned to our events manager Sharron Marriott before the businesses are eligible for the next stage in the process.

A panel of judges will consider all the applications and draw up a shortlist of three in each category. Each of these three businesses will then be invited to the ceremony.

The categories:

Best New Start-Up (Sponsored by Alltech)

Has your business been a roaring success in its infancy? Has it exceeded all your expectations or is it exactly on the right track, looking strong and with excellent prospects for the future? You may be a one-man band looking to expand, or you may have started at a larger scale and already proved your ideas work. This award is open to companies in business for up to three years from the date of the launch (Friday, April 26, 2024).

Best Independent Retailer

This award celebrates the shops which truly make the Mercury area special and will be judged on financial performance, product and store innovation as well as excellent customer service.

Employee/Team of the Year

This award is to celebrate dedication and commitment to the business. The title will go to the employee or team who always go the extra mile and exceed expectations within their company. The judges will be looking for an employee or team who can demonstrate how their attitude, commitment and dedication to their job has delivered significant benefits to the company they work for.

Business Innovation

This award will go to the organisation that can best demonstrate an ability to create, grow and develop innovations or processes that improve commercial performance or the prospects of the company.

Environmental Champion

This award will be presented to the business that can demonstrate a commitment to reduce its carbon footprint with projects such as cutting its use of fossil fuels, caring for the natural environment, improving the use of resources by cutting waste, reducing pollution and increasing its environmental understanding.

Best Social Enterprise (sponsored by Stamford College)

This award is open to charities and social enterprises who can demonstrate significant commercial and social impact of their activities. Judges will want to see clear evidence of commercial awareness and innovative strategies that complement the altruistic aims of the organisation.

Businessperson of the Year (sponsored by Quibble)

The winner of this award will be an individual who stands out from the crowd, has an entrepreneurial spirit, demonstrates outstanding achievement and inspires others around them. The winner of this award will have been instrumental to the success of their business, growing the reputation of both their business and the area in which they operate.

Customer Care

This award will recognise the company, irrespective of size or sector, that can prove it really does put the customer first. Has your business excelled to help one customer in particular or perhaps you have introduced new ways of working to help every customer? The organisation must have objectives for high quality customer service and clear methods of monitoring and evaluating standards.

Small Business of the Year (sponsored by South Kesteven District Council)

This award is open to a business trading for more than three years with up to 20 employees and able to demonstrate excellence and innovation in its field, management with the ability to drive the business forward and funding arrangements and investment plans for the future of the business. It must show it understands its market and has arrangements to respond to change.

Large Business of the Year (sponsored by Chattertons)

This award is open to a business trading for more than three years with more than 20 employees that can show evidence of business growth, a commitment to the local community, a business strategy and vision for the next three to five years, proven success and achievement during the past two years, management with the ability to drive the business forward and a genuine commitment to its staff.

We also have sponsorship opportunities for businesses which want to support our event. To find out more, e-mail our events manager at: sharron.marriott@iliffepublishing.co.uk

With grateful thanks to our headline sponsor Hegarty Solicitors, category sponsors Chattertons, South Kesteven District Council, Stamford College, Quibble, and drinks reception sponsor and host Rutland Hall Hotel.

MAKE A NOMINATION

Any business within the Mercury’s news coverage area can enter from now until the deadline of Friday, June 21.

From there, a comprehensive nomination pack will be sent out and these must be filled in and returned by Friday, June 30. Businesses can enter a maximum of three categories and give as much information as possible.

The entry form is at www.mercurybusinessawards.co.uk

After the closing date, the judging panel will shortlist three finalists in each category. The three finalists in each will be contacted by the judges before the winner is revealed at the ceremony.