Award-winning businesses can be regarded as more reputable and honest, offering better customer service and better value. If you win, you will receive accreditation in the form of certificates to display in your office or shop, and logos to use online and in printed media.

The Awards presentation events themselves provide fantastic photo opportunities and content for positive news stories. The PR benefits vastly outweigh the admin time in entering – and once you have tried one, you will find that much of the research and gathering supplementing documents, quotes and supporting images will be easier to prepare for subsequent awards.

Think about a Michelin-starred restaurant, for example, they will have a much easier time attracting new guests than their non-starred counterparts – even when the dining experience may be comparable across both types of venue. This is why award-winning businesses highlight success as much as possible: showing certification stickers in shop windows, website landing pages, newsletter headers and hard copy brochures or point of sale.

However, awards are not limited to the hospitality industry – any small business can enter, and there are a wide range of categories that can be entered. The Small Awards, which are open for entries until 27th February 2023 include categories for High Street Hero – Best high street business, Legacy Award – Best family business, Supply Chain Champion – Best B2B business and New Kid On The Block – Best business start-up (less than 18 months) amongst others.

Reasons to enter your Royal Borough small business into Awards in 2024:

1. Improved employee morale:

When you receive a prestigious award, everyone in your team feels better. They appreciate being recognised for their hard work, and there is a team sense of pride and achievement.

This is great in the here and now, but it also means your employees will be more inclined to defend their titles moving forward. Nothing looks or feels better than being “best in class” for multiple consecutive years.

2. Increased visibility & brand awareness:

Winning business awards can help boost your company’s profile. This increased awareness does not apply just to consumers. You may also receive more attention from suppliers, vendors, and investors — many of whom survey articles and award ceremonies for potential business partners.

3. Higher prices & increased profit:

When you become an award-winning business, you may be able to charge more for your products and services — and be able to justify doing so. Think about the Michelin restaurant example earlier; the award-winning restaurant might offer the same menu choices as an upscale bistro down the road, but with an award under its belt, the 3-star restaurant may be able to afford to charge higher prices for its food, with little to no questioning from customers, because it knows it has increased interest and footfall.

So, how do you become an award-winning business?

Give it a try! There is no universal template to guarantee success in the process, but the most important part of any contest involves putting your name in the hat. If you don’t apply, you can’t win!

Even if you do not win the first time, with every award entered you will receive valuable feedback from the organisers and judges, and the experience will help you learn and adapt for next time.

What can you do to prepare for an award entry?

To make the process as easy as possible, and to give yourself the best possible chance of success – start getting prepared early. Research the types of awards that your business may be suitable for – and note down the key dates: first submission, final closing dates, etc. Start to prepare as early as you can, this will save time later. Eventually simple business change can go a long way in helping you gather the supporting documents and evidence to submit with your entry. Here are some of the things we recommend:

1. Start to gather customer feedback, on Google Reviews, TripAdvisor, questionnaires, or other means. Create a master document summarising your best reviews, to save time later.

2. Gather quotes and references from employees and visitors about things that make your business great. Note down successes and highlights as they happen during the year.

3. Take photos – of shop windows, staff events, customers taking delivery of products, your latest home installation, landscaped garden, or menu offering. Visual evidence of your business doing great things is an easy way to make your entry stand out.

4. Note down improvements and enhancements introduced in your business through the year – perhaps you’ve upgraded your bathrooms, or changed PoS hardware, maybe you’ve uplifted your customer communications or started free local delivery.

5. Have you made any sustainability enhancements? There is often a green category in awards, so consider what you have done to help the environment lately. Have you changed your product packaging, or switched to a more local supplier, do all your staff now carry refillable drinks containers or have you made energy-saving impacts?

Come and chat!

Our next MyRoyalBorough Business Networking event will be taking place on Thursday 8th February, in Windsor - we’ll be discussing awards entry tips and sharing advice and experience at that session.

To make sure you don’t miss out make sure you are signed up to receive our MyRoyalBorough e-newsletters by signing up here.

Are you a Royal Borough business who has achieved award success recently, and would like to come along and talk to others about your experience? We would love to hear from you, and you’ll benefit from free PR through our channels in the run up to, and post-event. If you would like to come and talk, or run a short workshop session, please email us here.

Want to learn more?

There are lots of opportunities and different awards to enter. For more information, and a few suggestions on websites to read up on:

FSB Awards | FSB, The Federation of Small Businesses – open for entries now until 11 February 2024

Entry Essentials - UK Company Culture Awards – open for entries now until 23 February 2024

The Small Awards - open for entries now until 27 February 2024

The Good Small Business Awards – open for entries now until 1 March 2024

Maidenhead & Windsor Business & Community Awards - will open for entries Spring 2024

Tell us how you’re doing!

Keep us posted on your progress – tag us in your social media blogs, posts and stories using #MyRoyalBorough.

Share your success with us – email us on business@rbwm.gov.uk and we’ll share your good news throughout the Royal Borough and beyond!