Awards News – The Latest From The World of Business Awards

To win a Queen’s Award brings unparallelled prestige, exposure and recognition, with many recognising it as the highest UK official award for businesses. Anyone who could win an award from HM Queen Elizabeth II would certainly be mad not to try. Having written 32 winning entries for clients, I hope this article will help you decide whether you COULD win an award, and if so, HOW to do so.

After decades of incremental innovation in learning and development, the pandemic brought about a period of radical change. Previous assumptions about how certain types of learning should be delivered have been replaced with the urgent need to provide effective learning across all topics without physical contact. From an awards perspective this has led to a change in the types of stories being entered, the categories award schemes offer, and what awards judges are expecting when they read entries. But which awards should you enter? Please read our comprehensive guide to entering training awards.

Have you successfully delivered a major HR strategy or project over the past year? If so, that project, your team, or the individuals involved may be eligible for an award. But with so many awards out there, do you need some help picking which award schemes to enter? Whether its talent management, recruitment, employee engagement or learning and development… Boost’s Chris Robinson says there’s an HR award and category that will be a perfect match for you.

Do you think your business, team or even a specific individual deserves recognition for outstanding achievement, resilience, ingenuity and results during the pandemic? The UK Business Awards (UKBA) is your chance to recognise and honour this with an independent ‘seal of approval’. Now in it’s seventh year the UKBA (aka ‘The Dons’) is back with some new features, ready to celebrate the heroic people in business in the Covid-era.

You have fantastic internal D&I initiatives, great communications, senior buy-in and measurable impacts within the business and beyond. Why not celebrate your D&I initiatives with your colleagues and grow your reputation? Read our comprehensive guide to diversity and inclusion awards.

Winning a customer service award is great way to impress customers, both current and potential. Boost’s Alex Coxon looks at 4 types of customer service awards and customer experience awards that you should enter, and which might best suit your team and your marketing goals. From Contact Centre Awards to Customer Service categories in General Business Awards, there are plenty of ways to show you provide exceptional customer service.

Remi Ogunleye, from City and Guilds, joined us for a chat about The Princess Royal Training Awards. How the awards have developed over time, how they responded to the pandemic and the shift to virtual awards, and what entrants can expect in 2021.

Read about Princess Royal Training Award winners investing in training for a post-covid recovery. See how in these case studies, award recipients have invested in training employees to create sustainable talent pipelines and fill skills gaps. Examples of the benefits of winning a Princess Royal Training Award.

As one of the highest profile learning awards in the calendar, The Princess Royal Training Awards honour employers in the UK who have created outstanding training and skills development programmes. Recognising the pivotal role that learning and development plays in every successful business, this prestigious award seeks to highlight the range and quality of training that exists in industry. Read our comprehensive guide to entering.

The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For and the Great Place to Work scheme are two of the most popular ‘Best Employer’ league tables. Boost’s Rebecca Carpenter discusses these and similar ‘Best Places to Work’ schemes, as well as awards with ‘Employer of the Year’ categories, to help you decide which might be best for your company.

Around 90% of business awards recognise departments, people, or industry sectors. However, there is a whole collection of award schemes which recognise the business as a whole, irrespective of industry sector. We call these ‘general business awards’ and they include very prestigious schemes like the Chamber Business Awards and The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise. Chris Robinson explains which of these awards suit your business best, and provides some top tips for increasing your chances of winning one.

If a company wants to attract investment, its ESG rating is not just important, it’s critical. In this article, Boost’s Echo Ilott explores how ESG awards and rankings have become an increasingly important tool in proving and improving a company’s business-critical ESG rating.

The UK Customer Experience Awards is aimed at organisations who strive to enhance the customer experience they offer in an innovative way. Celebrating its eleventh-year anniversary, the CX programme has become a key staple in the awards diary for companies large and small. Milly Bones, a former UKCEA judge, guides you through everything you need to know before entering.

Studies have shown that women feel they have to work harder for recognition compared to their male counterparts and on average are less vocal about their success. One of the best, and simplest ways to gain recognition in the business world, is to be put forward for an award. Boost’s Amber Campbell aims to explore some of the business awards for women that are available and you might consider entering.

The Stonewall Workplace Equality Index is the definitive benchmark for an organisation’s progress on LGBT equality. Boost’s Emma Turnbull outlines everything you need to know about entering either the UK or the Global Indices. The application process is massive with the written element potentially over 35,000 words, plus a plethora of supporting material to show your policies, inclusion activity and more. Read our guide and contact us for help if you are considering applying and aiming to become a Top 100 Employer.

The Real IT Awards RITA have been rewarding outstanding IT teams and projects since 2004. Our Awards Spotlight for RITA 2020 guides you through the history of the awards, past winners, the entry process and all of the categories for this year, including a raft of new ones. All the details you need to know about one of the most credible awards in the UK IT industry.

Okay, so you’ve achieved something big within your business and now you want to shout about it – and rightly so. The extensive world of awards awaits you…but how do you ensure your entry makes the coveted shortlist, and gives you the best chance of proudly accepting a shiny new trophy? Boost’s Lesley Billen talks you through how to win business awards.

Pensions Awards are on the increase. We surveyed over 400 business decision-makers and the results showed that over 72.1% are influenced by awards when choosing providers of financial services and a massive 81.0% are influenced by awards when choosing HR services (including employee benefits). Is it any wonder that awards in the pensions industry are not only highly sought after, but are also highly competitive? Read our guide to the best pensions awards to enter.

As one of London’s top responsible business awards, the Lord Mayor’s Dragon Awards celebrate businesses that are achieving excellence in social impact. Recognising the vital role businesses across every sector have to play in this important topic, these awards recognise everything from responsible recruitment through to procurement and giving practices. Read our ‘Awards Spotlight’ guide for everything you need to know about entering.

If you work in, or supply to, the insurance sector, then the good news is there is a fantastic choice of insurance awards to enter, and we are not just talking about the most famous like The British Insurance Awards and The Insurance Times Awards. However, with this choice comes a challenge – unless you have an unlimited budget, you’re going to have to be choosy. This article will help you pick which insurance awards to enter.

The awards sector is booming with literally thousands of award schemes taking place around the world each year. Our free list of business awards contains over 3,500 active listings and is still growing! And while you’ve no doubt heard of the industry heavy-hitters such as The National Business Awards, The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise, Employee Benefits Awards, Masters of Marketing Awards or UK IT Awards, there’s a plethora of obscure and incredibly niche ones too. Phil Stock explores the wonderful world of awards.

Entering Business Awards: Vanity or Sanity? With awards seemingly popping up all over the place, businesses could be forgiven for wondering just how valuable such a stamp of approval is.