The Awards
Give your business a boost with a CASH prize!
Competing for a Business Boost Award is a great way to differentiate your business. Not only will you gain recognition for wanting to be a success in business, you will also have the opportunity to win a CASH award to help you realise those ambitious plans.
Reaching the finals is a great achievement to be celebrated! Business Boost finalists and winners get a real opportunity to generate positive publicity, demonstrating to their staff, clients and suppliers that their business is indeed exceptional!
“The Award gave us local publicity, and the citation, which we use on our web site, gives our potential customers a marker for how the company is doing ......it’s an excellent platform as part of our marketing strategy.”
Professor Jon Heylings, Chairman
DTL – Winner 2008
Business Boost 2012
The 2011 competition is now closed, concluding with a glittering awards ceremony at Newcastle College on September 29th. The 2012 awards are in the planning stages and will be announced in late Spring.
Business Boost Award Categories:
Impact on the Borough - sponsored by Newcastle Borough Council
First prize: TBC
Entrepreneurial Spirit - sponsored by Keele University Science and Business Park
First prize: TBC
Progress through People - sponsored by Aspire
First prize: TBC
The Realise Foundation Apprenticeship Award (TBC)
Placement value: £6,000
A 12-months day-release apprenticeship placement with all associated costs paid for by Realise Foundation including recruitment, training and an apprenticeship allowance of £95 per week.
The Judges Special Award
Winner: £1,000 – a discretionary award presented to the most innovative business that fires the imagination.
Criteria for Entry
The Business Boost Competition is open to small and medium size businesses with less than 250 employees. The following criteria must be met by applicants:
- The business must be based in the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme (i.e. postcodes beginning with ST5, ST7, CW3, TF9) and has been trading for any length of time. The organisers reserve the right to request evidence of location in the form of a utility bill or similar.
- The business must have less than 250 full time equivalent (FTE) employees. FTE includes all permanent full-time and part-time employees but excludes casual employees, guests, employees on a fixed-term contract and employees on extended leave (over 28 consecutive calendar days) on the day the data is reported. The organisers reserve the right to request proof of the number of employees.
- It must not be a subsidiary of a larger organisation but franchise businesses may apply.
- The business must be trading at the date of closure for entries.
- All types of businesses are eligible for entry with the exception of those involved in any form of illegal, unlawful or immoral activity.
- Previous Business Boost participants may apply subject to eligibility criteria.
For full information, please download Business Boost Terms & Conditions
The Judging Panel
The judging panel consists of a group of business professionals some of whom own businesses in Newcastle-under-Lyme. Any information provided by applicants in the course of the Competition is treated in absolute confidence. The selected judges are required to sign Confidentiality Agreements (copies made available on request), and abide by the Data Protection Act 1998.
You can request to receive a list of the judging panels by email: info@businessboostawards.org.uk
The Judging Process
First Stage - The Application: Deadline TBC
Successful applicants are those deemed by the judges to have presented a strong business case for boosting the local economy.
Second Stage - Business Plan Submission: Deadline TBC
Selected businesses are those that have demonstrated good knowledge of their target market underpinned by sound business planning.
Final Stage - Presentation: TBC
Finalists are deemed by the judges to have demonstrated exceptional management and leadership skills, and passion to succeed.