How to win The King’s Awards for Enterprise 2024
Rebecca Carpenter
Managing Consultant, Boost
Entering The King’s Awards for Enterprise 2024
The Queen’s Award for Enterprise has always been the most prestigious and coveted award to win for UK businesses. With the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2022 and subsequent accession of Charles III, the future of the awards programme was somewhat under wraps while this period of great change and transition took place. However, we’re pleased to report that the awards will continue as The King’s Award for Enterprise, which is fantastic news for those seeking unparalleled prestige, exposure and recognition. Imagine what it would feel like to be able to say “We are King’s Award winners” and receive Royal recognition.
Having written 45 winning entries for our clients, we know from our long experience that these awards are highly competitive and require a lot of preparation. I hope this article will help you decide whether you COULD win an award, and if so, HOW to do so.
The scheme
The King’s Awards for Enterprise truly is the most credible UK award out there. It has an entry deadline of 12th September this year and comes with a host of benefits, such as:
- Being able to fly the logo as a flag above your office for five years and use the emblem on your marketing materials.
- A site visit from a Royal representative to present the award.
- Invites for a leader and frontline staff member to a Royal reception at Buckingham Palace.
- Being given a Grant of Appointment and a commemorative crystal bowl.
All this from an award which has no entry or ceremony fees associated with it. Surely with so much on offer for so little, every business should try and win the award?
Should you apply for a King’s Award?
Firstly… could your business win?
Well, the awards have four categories, and each is looking for something very specific indeed. There is no limit on the number of Queen’s Award winners in each category. We have distilled criteria into four scenarios below; if any of these describe your business then you really should consider entering.
- Innovation: You have an innovation that can be defined as an invention, design or production of goods, performance of services, marketing and distribution or after-sales support of goods or services. Whichever it is, you need to ensure it has been available on the market for at least 2 years. Companies that invented and manufactured a physical product tend to do better in this category. However, those with service innovation can (and do) still win if you are able to concretely prove that you are innovative.
- International trade: You are leading your sector in exporting goods or services overseas and have had three financial years of outstanding overall financial performance and growth in exports or six financial years of strong continual growth. You must have made a minimum of £100,000 in overseas sales in the first year of your entry and show year-on-year growth. (N.B. The majority of last year’s winners were for this category.)
“Evidence is key…you need to prove that you are leading your industry in some way. You cannot simply make this claim without compelling evidence to support it.”
- Promoting opportunity through social mobility: You have had a social mobility programme running and can prove that your organisation has benefited from it financially. The programme needed to be something that specifically reaches out and supports people from disadvantaged backgrounds, in order to inspire and guide the best talent into their organisation and beyond. To be eligible, the programme must have been running for more than two years but it can’t be the core purpose of your business.
- Sustainable development: You should have achieved outstanding sustainable development for at least three years. You also have evidence of the benefits or positive outcomes of your actions or interventions. If the sustainability relates to a single product/service, you must also demonstrate that your company is sustainable too. Finally, your sustainable development should align with at least one of the United Nations (UN) 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
King’s Awards Winners
One of the great aspects of the King’s Awards for Enterprise is the sheer diversity of entrants and winners. This year there were 148 awards given (almost half the number compared to last year, showing just how tough these awards are) out to a wide range of start-up businesses through to well established multinationals in all different industry sectors.
The Sustainable Development category for example saw wins for First Milk and Greenyard Frozen UK Ltd amongst the 15 winners, whilst the Promoting Opportunity category saw St Helens Chamber and Shelforce amongst its nine winners.
The International Trade category saw by far the most King’s Awards Winners announced (78) covering a wide and varied range of industries – from British branded food and drink export Star Pacific, to Lintbells who develop and sell joint supplements for dogs and cats. The King’s Award Innovation category had the second largest number of winners at 47, which included the National Association of Motor Auctions and Inov8 Systems Limited, a Belfast manufacturer of electronic equipment. A link to the full list of 2023 King’s Award winners is at the bottom of the article.
So with such exalted company the next question to ask would be…
How to apply for a King’s Award
There are four main components to the application:
- The main entry form: Each of the categories has a collection of plain text boxes for you to explain the details of your case for winning. These vary in length depending on the category and your answers but range from 7,240+ words up to 9,565.
- The financial form: This is substantial with a host of financial and business-related stat boxes and free text questions. The section varies in length depending on the category.
- ESG section (formally CSR): This is a separate part of the entry that covers five questions (200-word limit on each) focused on Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance. This is a very important part of the entry and companies not demonstrating ESG will not be eligible to win an award. Please note, the Sustainable Development category does not have a separate ESG section .
- Signed endorsement from your accountants: This is required if you are shortlisted for an award. If any errors are picked in your application, then it can hamper your chances, so it is very important that all figures are correct before submitting.
Changes to the 2024 King’s Awards for Enterprise
If you are familiar with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise, then it is important to note some key changes across all categories this year:
- The eligibility section now asks if you can demonstrate that you adhere to environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) practices.
- There are no allowances for Covid finances this year. The most recent financial year has to be your last financial year ending before the 12th September 2023.
- For the Innovation category, you can no longer choose a two or five year entry, it’s defaulted to five years unless you’ve been trading for less than five years. If that’s the case you must provide at least two full years of financials.
- For sustainable development, there is a stronger focus on diversity, asking to describe the organisation’s diversity and inclusion strategy.
The open-ended sections
For the narrative sections, remember that passion and conviction is absolutely welcome, but avoid hyperboles and unsubstantiated marketing speak. Maintain high standards in terms of clarity, prioritise brevity and keep it factual.
Evidence is key here. We often find that clients need additional market research, benchmarking and/or surveys to ensure all their assertions are backed up. The key point here is that you need to prove that you are leading your industry in some way. You cannot simply make this claim without compelling evidence to support it.
How to approach your King’s Award entry
There are two approaches to applying:
- Self-nomination: Visit the website, fill in the forms, and hope you did it right and can find the time to do so (it can take anything from 50 to 100 hours to complete the entry, possibly more if you are new to awards).
- Externally-supported nomination: The same way as you wouldn’t instigate legal proceedings or submit a tax return without expert support, you would be best advised to engage expert help in filling in the substantial paperwork here.
Either way, it is essential that you engage:
- The leaders within your business, who need to make some important decisions about how to present your case and contribute to their sections.
- Your Finance Director, who will need to help with the numerous sections of the entry form that relate to finances.
- Your accountants. As mentioned earlier, they will be needed later, and you can’t risk them spotting an error.
You need to view this like an audit and a project in its own right. Do not enter into it lightly, thinking “This’ll do”. If you drop a couple of marks unnecessarily, then your chance of winning might be delayed for another year – and next year your financials might not be so favourable.
What now?
Please do not think that the 12th September deadline is ages away and you can put this off. A lot of time should be allowed to collect the facts and stats necessary to complete your form, paraphrase it, get it signed off by your leaders and accountants and then submit it.
Your first step is making decisions; firstly, answering the question “Should we apply?” then “Which options shall we select in completing the form?”
One option taken by a number of businesses is to get their story and financials thoroughly assessed before making a commitment to complete the full application. This ‘look before you leap’ approach is very sensible and will ensure that there are no issues in terms of eligibility or scoring criteria that could mean you should not apply, or maybe leave it a year. If you get the thumbs up, then you can engage colleagues in the processes confident in the knowledge that you might indeed win an award.
If you decide to proceed with an application and have the time and expertise to manage the project and undertake the content writing in house, then click on the link below to go to the application form – and the very best of luck.
If you would like to undertake an assessment or wish to maximise your chances of winning, while minimising the disruption to your workload and workplace, then I recommend you get in touch with us here at Boost. You can contact me personally via rebecca.carpenter@boost-awards.co.uk. and either myself, our one of our team of experts will be able to help. We’ve been helping businesses enter the King’s Awards since 2007, and we are more experienced than any other agency in the world when it comes to these awards.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Becki.
To contact Becki personally about The King’s Awards for Enterprise: rebecca.carpenter@boost-awards.co.uk
This is the Official King’s Awards for Enterprise application page: https://www.kings-awards-enterprise.service.gov.uk/users/sign_up
The King’s Awards blog has many excellent articles and information about previous King’s Awards winners: https://kingsawards.blog.gov.uk/
A full list of King’s Awards for Enterprise 2023 winners can be found here:
https://www.kingsawardsmagazine.com/winners/
Looking for similar awards to enter? Our free list of 5,000+ awards on our Awards List website is the largest resource of its kind.
How to win The King’s Awards for Enterprise 2024
Rebecca Carpenter
Managing Consultant, Boost
Entering The King’s Awards for Enterprise 2024
The Queen’s Award for Enterprise has always been the most prestigious and coveted award to win for UK businesses. With the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2022 and subsequent accession of Charles III, the future of the awards programme was somewhat under wraps while this period of great change and transition took place. However, we’re pleased to report that the awards will continue as The King’s Award for Enterprise, which is fantastic news for those seeking unparalleled prestige, exposure and recognition. Imagine what it would feel like to be able to say “We are King’s Award winners” and receive Royal recognition.
Having written 45 winning entries for our clients, we know from our long experience that these awards are highly competitive and require a lot of preparation. I hope this article will help you decide whether you COULD win an award, and if so, HOW to do so.
The scheme
The King’s Awards for Enterprise truly is the most credible UK award out there. It has an entry deadline of 12th September this year and comes with a host of benefits, such as:
- Being able to fly the logo as a flag above your office for five years and use the emblem on your marketing materials.
- A site visit from a Royal representative to present the award.
- Invites for a leader and frontline staff member to a Royal reception at Buckingham Palace.
- Being given a Grant of Appointment and a commemorative crystal bowl.
All this from an award which has no entry or ceremony fees associated with it. Surely with so much on offer for so little, every business should try and win the award?
Should you apply for a King’s Award?
Firstly… could your business win?
Well, the awards have four categories, and each is looking for something very specific indeed. There is no limit on the number of King’s Award winners in each category. We have distilled criteria into four scenarios below; if any of these describe your business, then you really should consider entering.
- Innovation: You have an innovation that can be defined as an invention, design or production of goods, performance of services, marketing and distribution or after-sales support of goods or services. Whichever it is, you need to ensure it has been available on the market for at least 2 years. Companies that invented and manufactured a physical product tend to do better in this category. However, those with service innovation can (and do) still win if you are able to concretely prove that you are innovative.
- International trade: You are leading your sector in exporting goods or services overseas and have had three financial years of outstanding overall financial performance and growth in exports or six financial years of strong continual growth. You must have made a minimum of £100,000 in overseas sales in the first year of your entry and show year-on-year growth. (N.B. The majority of last year’s winners were for this category.)
- Promoting opportunity through social mobility: You have had a social mobility programme running and can prove that your organisation has benefited from it financially. The programme needed to be something that specifically reaches out and supports people from disadvantaged backgrounds, in order to inspire and guide the best talent into their organisation and beyond. To be eligible, the programme must have been running for more than two years but it can’t be the core purpose of your business.
- Sustainable development: You should have achieved outstanding sustainable development for at least three years. You also have evidence of the benefits or positive outcomes of your actions or interventions. If the sustainability relates to a single product/service, you must also demonstrate that your company is sustainable too. Finally, your sustainable development should align with at least one of the United Nations (UN) 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“Evidence is key…you need to prove that you are leading your industry in some way. You cannot simply make this claim without compelling evidence.”
King’s Awards Winners
One of the great aspects of the King’s Awards for Enterprise is the sheer diversity of entrants and winners. This year there were 148 awards given (almost half the number compared to last year, showing just how tough these awards are) out to a wide range of start-up businesses through to well established multinationals in all different industry sectors.
The Sustainable Development category for example saw wins for First Milk and Greenyard Frozen UK Ltd amongst the 15 winners, whilst the Promoting Opportunity category saw St Helens Chamber and Shelforce amongst its nine winners.
The International Trade category saw by far the most King’s Awards Winners announced (78) covering a wide and varied range of industries – from British branded food and drink export Star Pacific, to Lintbells who develop and sell joint supplements for dogs and cats. The King’s Award Innovation category had the second largest number of winners at 47, which included the National Association of Motor Auctions and Inov8 Systems Limited, a Belfast manufacturer of electronic equipment. A link to the full list of 2023 King’s Award winners is at the bottom of the article.
So with such exalted company the next question to ask would be…
How to apply for a King’s Award
There are four main components to the application:
- The main entry form: Each of the categories has a collection of plain text boxes for you to explain the details of your case for winning. These vary in length depending on the category and your answers but range from 7,240+ words up to 9,565.
- The financial form: This is substantial with a host of financial and business-related stat boxes and free text questions. The section varies in length depending on the category.
- ESG section (formally CSR): This is a separate part of the entry that covers five questions (200-word limit on each) focused on Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance. This is a very important part of the entry and companies not demonstrating ESG will not be eligible to win an award. Please note, the Sustainable Development category does not have a separate ESG section .
- Signed endorsement from your accountants: This is required if you are shortlisted for an award. If any errors are picked in your application, then it can hamper your chances, so it is very important that all figures are correct before submitting.
Changes to the 2024 King’s Awards for Enterprise
If you are familiar with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise, then it is important to note some key changes across all categories this year:
- The eligibility section now asks if you can demonstrate that you adhere to environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) practices.
- There are no allowances for Covid finances this year. The most recent financial year has to be your last financial year ending before the 12th September 2023.
- For the Innovation category, you can no longer choose a two or five year entry, it’s defaulted to five years unless you’ve been trading for less than five years. If that’s the case you must provide at least two full years of financials.
- For sustainable development, there is a stronger focus on diversity, asking to describe the organisation’s diversity and inclusion strategy.
The open-ended sections
For the narrative sections, remember that passion and conviction is absolutely welcome, but avoid hyperboles and unsubstantiated marketing speak. Maintain high standards in terms of clarity, prioritise brevity and keep it factual.
Evidence is key here. We often find that clients need additional market research, benchmarking and/or surveys to ensure all their assertions are backed up. The key point here is that you need to prove that you are leading your industry in some way. You cannot simply make this claim without compelling evidence to support it.
How to approach your King’s Award entry
There are two approaches to applying:
- Self-nomination: Visit the website, fill in the forms, and hope you did it right and can find the time to do so (it can take anything from 50 to 100 hours to complete the entry, possibly more if you are new to awards).
- Externally-supported nomination: The same way as you wouldn’t instigate legal proceedings or submit a tax return without expert support, you would be best advised to engage expert help in filling in the substantial paperwork here.
Either way, it is essential that you engage:
- The leaders within your business, who need to make some important decisions about how to present your case and contribute to their sections.
- Your Finance Director, who will need to help with the numerous sections of the entry form that relate to finances.
- Your accountants. As mentioned earlier, they will be needed later, and you can’t risk them spotting an error.
You need to view this like an audit and a project in its own right. Do not enter into it lightly, thinking “This’ll do”. If you drop a couple of marks unnecessarily, then your chance of winning might be delayed for another year – and next year your financials might not be so favourable.
What now?
Please do not think that the 12th September deadline is ages away and you can put this off. A lot of time should be allowed to collect the facts and stats necessary to complete your form, paraphrase it, get it signed off by your leaders and accountants and then submit it.
Your first step is making decisions; firstly, answering the question “Should we apply?” then “Which options shall we select in completing the form?”
One option taken by a number of businesses is to get their story and financials thoroughly assessed before making a commitment to complete the full application. This ‘look before you leap’ approach is very sensible and will ensure that there are no issues in terms of eligibility or scoring criteria that could mean you should not apply, or maybe leave it a year. If you get the thumbs up, then you can engage colleagues in the processes confident in the knowledge that you might indeed win an award.
If you decide to proceed with an application and have the time and expertise to manage the project and undertake the content writing in house, then click on the link below to go to the application form – and the very best of luck.
If you would like to undertake an assessment or wish to maximise your chances of winning, while minimising the disruption to your workload and workplace, then I recommend you get in touch with us here at Boost. You can contact me personally via rebecca.carpenter@boost-awards.co.uk. and either myself, our one of our team of experts will be able to help. We’ve been helping businesses enter the King’s Awards since 2007, and we are more experienced than any other agency in the world when it comes to these awards.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Becki.
To contact Becki personally about The King’s Awards for Enterprise: rebecca.carpenter@boost-awards.co.uk
This is the Official King’s Awards for Enterprise application page: https://www.kings-awards-enterprise.service.gov.uk/users/sign_up
The King’s Awards blog has many excellent articles and information about previous King’s Awards winners: https://kingsawards.blog.gov.uk/
A full list of King’s Awards for Enterprise 2023 winners can be found here:
https://www.kingsawardsmagazine.com/winners/
Looking for similar awards to enter? Our free list of 5,000+ awards on our Awards List website is the largest resource of its kind.
Entering The Queen’s Award for Enterprise 2020 Video
Below is a short highlights video of our guide to entering The Queen’s Award for Enterprise from 2020. It remains a useful and relevant resource for entering The King’s Awards for Enterprise. If you wish to view the full length version please complete the form and you will gain access to our comprehensive guide. In it you will hear the story of a 2019 Queen’s Award for Enterprise winner, Customer Thermometer, from co-founder Lindsay Willott. Learn about the scheme from a Deputy Lieutenant, Tim Cobb, and get advice on entering from Chris Robinson, MD and Founder of Boost Awards, the world’s first and largest award entry consultancy.
Boost – a helping hand entering awards
Boost is the world’s first and largest award entry consultancy, having helped clients, from SMEs to Multinationals, win over 2,000 credible business awards, including many King’s/Queen’s Awards for Enterprise. Increase your chances of success significantly – call Boost on +44(0)1273 258703 today for a no-obligation chat about awards.
(C) This article was written by Rebecca Carpenter and is the intellectual property of award entry consultants Boost Awards
Boost – a helping hand entering awards
Boost is the world’s first and largest award entry consultancy, having helped clients, from SMEs to Multinationals, win over 2,000 credible business awards, including many King’s/Queen’s Awards for Enterprise. Increase your chances of success significantly – call Boost on +44(0)1273 258703 today for a no-obligation chat about awards.
(C) This article was written by Rebecca Carpenter and is the intellectual property of award entry consultants Boost Awards
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