The best business leader awards and entrepreneur awards
Milly Bones
Principal Consultant, Boost Awards
Awards for business leaders and entrepreneurs
Winning high-profile business leader awards or coveted entrepreneur awards not only celebrates the fantastic work you do leading your business, it can elevate your professional profile – and that of your business.
But should raising your professional reputation be another thing on your to-do list? If you’re a business leader that wants to be recognised as a prominent, influential voice in your industry, or an entrepreneur wanting to celebrate the innovative business you’ve built – you should definitely consider leadership awards and awards for entrepreneurs.
But how do you know where to start? Fear not, here’s my breakdown of the best business leader and entrepreneur awards. Take a look through my top picks, and get the ball rolling on your award-winning journey today.
The best business leader awards
If you want to be recognised as one of the best business leaders, these awards are credible, cover a breadth of sectors and business sizes and are either geared specifically towards leaders, or boast interesting leadership categories.
UK Business Awards (The Dons)
Run by award organiser experts, Awards International, the UK Business Awards seek to celebrate business excellence and feature various business leader categories, including Leader of the Year. The deadline is usually early September.
IoD Director of the Year Awards
A highly credible programme run by the Institute of Directors since 2010, it features various regional events across the UK. This year for example, the IoD English regions have combined to create three super regions – the North; Midlands and the East; and the South, with and English final held in September. It’s mission is to highlight the most inspiring directors, with a focus on innovative business ideas, good governance practices and employee support. Categories up for grabs include ‘Family Business’, ‘Equality, Diversity and Inclusion’ and ‘Innovation’. Deadlines vary depending on region and nation but most occur Jan-March each year.
The LDC Top 50 Most Ambitious Business Leaders
In partnership with The Times, the prestigious LDC Top 50 celebrates the leaders behind growing businesses from every sector and region of the UK economy. Winners in the past have excelled in a wide range of leadership specialisms, from sustainability to people-first cultures and innovation. The deadline is usually in June with the list announced in October.
The International Business Awards
A popular US-based international scheme, these awards are typically a relatively short entry form (less than 650 words). Management categories recognise the achievements of executive managers, chairmen, and management teams. Trophies awarded include ‘Chairman of the Year, Maverick of the Year and Innovator of the Year. There are literally hundreds of other categories to choose from and the deadline is typically in July.
Management Today Business Leadership Awards
A self-declared celebration of British business, these awards focus on the importance of leadership when it comes to driving business performance. There are categories for ESG leadership, long-term business success, as well as the highly coveted CEO of the Year. Winners of this award also gain good exposure, as they are profiled on the Management Today and Management Today Business Awards websites. The deadline is in January each year.
The TITAN Business Awards
Celebrating individuals and teams who set industry benchmarks for excellence, dubbed ‘The TITANS’, these US-based awards (open to global entry) have a plethora of category options for leaders who want to win awards. From Inspiring Leadership of The Year and Woman Leadership of the Year, to other categories that celebrate leadership in specific industry sectors or management strategy in HR, Finance, IT or marketing amongst others. These usually run in a 2 seasons per year cycle with final deadlines in spring and autumn.
Business Brilliance Awards
The Business Brilliance Awards is an international awards programme where judges are looking for people who can demonstrate outstanding enterprise, innovation and entrepreneurial flair. Consider the Business Leader of the Year category, which will go to a leader who displays exceptional vision and leadership, with a strong financial track record or the CEO of the Year Award which will be won by someone who has consistently demonstrated clarity of vision, judgment and motivational skills that transform and empower organisations. The deadline is usually in October.
Business Leader South West Awards
Run by Business Leader, this awards programme brings UK south-west-based leaders from business, education and government together to recognise and celebrate business success. The Business Leader of the Year category will be given to an individual that has made an outstanding contribution to business and industry through years of dedication and hard work.
Business Leader Awards
A relatively new awards programme from Business Awards UK, these awards have a wide variety of different leadership categories, from Best Young Business Leader for promising business leaders under the age of 35 to UK Business Leader of the Year which recognises exceptional achievements, visionary leadership and unwavering dedication to driving success. These are designed to be quick to enter and feature a June deadline.
PLC Awards: CEO of the Year
Founded in 1987, The PLC Awards is open to all companies listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange. The winner of the CEO of the Year award must show they have a clear vision for the company and can demonstrate strong and successful leadership of the business. The event is attended by PLC company chairpersons, CEOs, CFOs, investment bankers, fund managers and analysts – the perfect audience to impress with a win!
The best entrepreneur awards
For many entrepreneurs, success is measured through the business they’ve built themselves. But winning an award for entrepreneurs could also verify the status of your business, bring in new clients or partners and earn you external credibility,
Perhaps you want to attract new people into your team, impress investors or simply make new connections in your industry? Winning one of these prestigious and widely recognised awards could really help raise your profile and promote your achievements, enabling you to do just that.
The Great British Entrepreneur of the Year
On a mission to champion the entrepreneurs behind brilliant businesses, you can take your pick from a variety of entrepreneur-focused awards on offer, from Creative Entrepreneur of the Year and Retail Entrepreneur of the Year to Young Entrepreneur of the Year or Technology Entrepreneur of the Year. Described as “the Grammys of entrepreneurship” by former winner and now Dragon and Podcaster, Steven Bartlett – these are a must for entrepreneurs in the UK. (May deadline)
Barclays Entrepreneur Awards
Barclays Entrepreneur Awards celebrates businesses who consistently support communities and the wider economy, disrupt the status quo and drive innovation. It’s variety of categories include the Payments Award – for entrepreneurs and businesses that have overcome a significant challenge or had big business growth, the Social Award – for entrepreneurs delivering transformative social or environmental change and the Innovation Award – for entrepreneurs making an impact through digital innovation. Winning entrepreneurs will demonstrate they’ve changed their industries, the economy and society in original and positive ways. The deadline is in June.
EY Entrepreneur of the Year
A success for more than 20 years, this award global programme recognises entrepreneurial achievement among individuals and companies that demonstrate vision, leadership and success — and work to improve the quality of life in their communities. Your business must have been incorporated for two years prior to entering and you must have a significant personal financial stake in the business, either directly or via share options. Entries are open until March.
Business Brilliance Awards: Entrepreneur of the Year
Alongside it’s business leader category, the Business Brilliance Awards showcases entrepreneurial spirit through its Entrepreneur of the Year category, which will go to a highly motivated entrepreneur who embodies drive, determination and exceptional abilities in the creation and administration of a successful business. If you can demonstrate a proven record of leadership, ingenuity, tenacity and success – then this is the award for you. The deadline is usually in October.
National Entrepreneur Awards
The National Entrepreneur Awards has become well-established at shining a spotlight on the amazing things entrepreneurs all over the UK are doing to build their own businesses, put something back into their local communities and give the country’s economy a much-needed boost. Take you pick from categories including Best Marketing Campaign, for business owners who have demonstrated creativity and flair or if your business is committed to actively helping other businesses grow, the Best Business Enabler category would be a great fit. Don’t forget the highly coveted Entrepreneur of the Year award. The deadline for entries is the end of July.
Growing Business Awards: Entrepreneur of the Year
In recognition of exceptional growing businesses, The Growing Business Awards celebrate the strength, vision and resilience of fast-growing SMEs. It’s biggest individual accolade, the Entrepreneur of the Year category will be awarded to an entrepreneur with outstanding personal ambition and vision and a strong track record of commercial success. Enter by the June deadline and find out the winners at a prestigious London event in November.
everywoman Entrepreneur Awards
A celebration of female business owners, their personal successes and achievements, the everywomen Entrepreneur Awards categories include International Expansion Award for a female founder who has successfully expanded her product/service to a new geographic market, Entrepreneur for Good Award for founding a business that contributes to the greater good and the Mumpreneur Award which will go to a woman who founded her business whilst raising a child/children aged 12 or under.(July deadline)
The f:Entrepreneur Awards
The f:Entrepreneur awards want to celebrate women, especially entrepreneurial women. Run by Small Business Britain, who – through reports, events and campaigns – champion small businesses all around the UK, these awards will ensure hard-working and dynamic female entrepreneurs are recognised. Enter by the end of September deadline.
You can also view our extensive list of awards for women in business here: https://awards-list.co.uk/awards-for-women/
SME National Business Awards
Now well-established, the SME National Business Awards wants to raise the profile of hardworking and enterprising SMEs and their entrepreneur owners. The perfect awards to enter and hopefully win to raise your profile. You’re also able to enter up to three different categories, and they also run regional editions if you were looking for local recognition as well. The deadline for the national competition is in May.
FSB Celebrating Small Business Awards
These awards are free to enter, and winning could really help to boost your business and brand. They also follow a similar regional/national format, with all the regional winners going on to compete in the UK finals held in May each year. FSB have been promoting and championing small businesses for over 45 years now, so a win with them will get you the recognition you deserve. There are 12 categories to choose from, including Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Start-Up Business of the Year and Service Excellence Award. Deadlines vary by region but are usually in throughout January and February.
What’s in it for you?
From building personal reputation to impressing new clients and investors, winning business leadership and entrepreneur awards is a great way to showcase your achievements. Here’s why:
- Raise your profile: building recognition for what you and your team have achieved certifies your place in the industry, perhaps even giving you the edge to move your career to the next level.
- Boost credibility: being certified as ‘award-winning’ helps to remove ambiguity in your business claims.
- Celebrate success: Take time to take stock of what you’ve achieved, review new priorities through constructive feedback, and take a moment to celebrate success with your team, clients, investors and customers.
How can Boost help you to win
Boost’s team of award entry writers can increase your chances of winning an award significantly. We have helped our clients, ranging from SMEs to multinationals, win over 2,000 awards.
Writing a winning award entry is about making a compelling case to the judges, convincing them that you make the grade. That takes time, evidence, style and a winning angle. This is exactly where Boost excels.
Our in-house writing team are expert at identifying and articulating your ‘wow factor’, making your entry deliver exactly what the judges are looking for and stand out from the competition.
For a quote or informal chat about awards, please call: +44(0)1273 258703 or if you prefer use our Contact Boost page or Email: info@boost-awards.co.uk.
Any other recommended next steps?
Sign up for free monthly award deadline reminders
Fill in the form below and you will receive a free list of all the business leader awards and entrepreneur awards deadlines coming up in the next two months. Yup completely free. Never miss a deadline again. Just choose your industry in the dropdown and at the start of the next month your email will arrive.
(C) This article was written by Milly Bones and all content is the intellectual property of award entry consultants Boost Awards
The best business leader awards and entrepreneur awards
Milly Bones
Principal Consultant, Boost Awards
Awards for business leaders and entrepreneurs
Winning high-profile business leader awards or coveted entrepreneur awards not only celebrates the fantastic work you do leading your business, it can elevate your professional profile – and that of your business.
But should raising your professional reputation be another thing on your to-do list? If you’re a business leader that wants to be recognised as a prominent, influential voice in your industry, or an entrepreneur wanting to celebrate the innovative business you’ve built – you should definitely consider leadership awards and awards for entrepreneurs.
But how do you know where to start? Fear not, here’s my breakdown of the best business leader and entrepreneur awards. Take a look through my top picks, and get the ball rolling on your award-winning journey today.
The best business leader awards
If you want to be recognised as one of the best business leaders, these awards are credible, cover a breadth of sectors and business sizes and are either geared specifically towards leaders, or boast interesting leadership categories.
UK Business Awards (The Dons)
Run by award organiser experts, Awards International, the UK Business Awards seek to celebrate business excellence and feature various business leader categories, including Leader of the Year. The deadline is usually early September.
IoD Director of the Year Awards
A highly credible programme run by the Institute of Directors since 2010, it features various regional events across the UK. This year for example, the IoD English regions have combined to create three super regions – the North; Midlands and the East; and the South, with and English final held in September. It’s mission is to highlight the most inspiring directors, with a focus on innovative business ideas, good governance practices and employee support. Categories up for grabs include ‘Family Business’, ‘Equality, Diversity and Inclusion’ and ‘Innovation’. Deadlines vary depending on region and nation but most occur Jan-March each year.
The LDC Top 50 Most Ambitious Business Leaders
In partnership with The Times, the prestigious LDC Top 50 celebrates the leaders behind growing businesses from every sector and region of the UK economy. Winners in the past have excelled in a wide range of leadership specialisms, from sustainability to people-first cultures and innovation. The deadline is usually in June with the list announced in October.
The International Business Awards
A popular US-based international scheme, these awards are typically a relatively short entry form (less than 650 words). Management categories recognise the achievements of executive managers, chairmen, and management teams. Trophies awarded include ‘Chairman of the Year, Maverick of the Year and Innovator of the Year. There are literally hundreds of other categories to choose from and the deadline is typically in July.
Management Today Business Leadership Awards
A self-declared celebration of British business, these awards focus on the importance of leadership when it comes to driving business performance. There are categories for ESG leadership, long-term business success, as well as the highly coveted CEO of the Year. Winners of this award also gain good exposure, as they are profiled on the Management Today and Management Today Business Awards websites. The deadline is in January each year.
The TITAN Business Awards
Celebrating individuals and teams who set industry benchmarks for excellence, dubbed ‘The TITANS’, these US-based awards (open to global entry) have a plethora of category options for leaders who want to win awards. From Inspiring Leadership of The Year and Woman Leadership of the Year, to other categories that celebrate leadership in specific industry sectors or management strategy in HR, Finance, IT or marketing amongst others. These usually run in a 2 seasons per year cycle with final deadlines in spring and autumn.
Business Brilliance Awards
The Business Brilliance Awards is an international awards programme where judges are looking for people who can demonstrate outstanding enterprise, innovation and entrepreneurial flair. Consider the Business Leader of the Year category, which will go to a leader who displays exceptional vision and leadership, with a strong financial track record or the CEO of the Year Award which will be won by someone who has consistently demonstrated clarity of vision, judgment and motivational skills that transform and empower organisations. The deadline is usually in October.
Business Leader South West Awards
Run by Business Leader, this awards programme brings UK south-west-based leaders from business, education and government together to recognise and celebrate business success. The Business Leader of the Year category will be given to an individual that has made an outstanding contribution to business and industry through years of dedication and hard work.
Business Leader Awards
A relatively new awards programme from Business Awards UK, these awards have a wide variety of different leadership categories, from Best Young Business Leader for promising business leaders under the age of 35 to UK Business Leader of the Year which recognises exceptional achievements, visionary leadership and unwavering dedication to driving success. These are designed to be quick to enter and feature a June deadline.
PLC Awards: CEO of the Year
Founded in 1987, The PLC Awards is open to all companies listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange. The winner of the CEO of the Year award must show they have a clear vision for the company and can demonstrate strong and successful leadership of the business. The event is attended by PLC company chairpersons, CEOs, CFOs, investment bankers, fund managers and analysts – the perfect audience to impress with a win!
The best entrepreneur awards
For many entrepreneurs, success is measured through the business they’ve built themselves. But winning an award for entrepreneurs could also verify the status of your business, bring in new clients or partners and earn you external credibility,
Perhaps you want to attract new people into your team, impress investors or simply make new connections in your industry? Winning one of these prestigious and widely recognised awards could really help raise your profile and promote your achievements, enabling you to do just that.
The Great British Entrepreneur of the Year
On a mission to champion the entrepreneurs behind brilliant businesses, you can take your pick from a variety of entrepreneur-focused awards on offer, from Creative Entrepreneur of the Year and Retail Entrepreneur of the Year to Young Entrepreneur of the Year or Technology Entrepreneur of the Year. Described as “the Grammys of entrepreneurship” by former winner and now Dragon and Podcaster, Steven Bartlett – these are a must for entrepreneurs in the UK. (May deadline)
Barclays Entrepreneur Awards
Barclays Entrepreneur Awards celebrates businesses who consistently support communities and the wider economy, disrupt the status quo and drive innovation. It’s variety of categories include the Payments Award – for entrepreneurs and businesses that have overcome a significant challenge or had big business growth, the Social Award – for entrepreneurs delivering transformative social or environmental change and the Innovation Award – for entrepreneurs making an impact through digital innovation. Winning entrepreneurs will demonstrate they’ve changed their industries, the economy and society in original and positive ways. The deadline is in June.
EY Entrepreneur of the Year
A success for more than 20 years, this award global programme recognises entrepreneurial achievement among individuals and companies that demonstrate vision, leadership and success — and work to improve the quality of life in their communities. Your business must have been incorporated for two years prior to entering and you must have a significant personal financial stake in the business, either directly or via share options. Entries are open until March.
Business Brilliance Awards: Entrepreneur of the Year
Alongside it’s business leader category, the Business Brilliance Awards showcases entrepreneurial spirit through its Entrepreneur of the Year category, which will go to a highly motivated entrepreneur who embodies drive, determination and exceptional abilities in the creation and administration of a successful business. If you can demonstrate a proven record of leadership, ingenuity, tenacity and success – then this is the award for you. The deadline is usually in October.
National Entrepreneur Awards
The National Entrepreneur Awards has become well-established at shining a spotlight on the amazing things entrepreneurs all over the UK are doing to build their own businesses, put something back into their local communities and give the country’s economy a much-needed boost. Take you pick from categories including Best Marketing Campaign, for business owners who have demonstrated creativity and flair or if your business is committed to actively helping other businesses grow, the Best Business Enabler category would be a great fit. Don’t forget the highly coveted Entrepreneur of the Year award. The deadline for entries is the end of July.
Growing Business Awards: Entrepreneur of the Year
In recognition of exceptional growing businesses, The Growing Business Awards celebrate the strength, vision and resilience of fast-growing SMEs. It’s biggest individual accolade, the Entrepreneur of the Year category will be awarded to an entrepreneur with outstanding personal ambition and vision and a strong track record of commercial success. Enter by the June deadline and find out the winners at a prestigious London event in November.
everywoman Entrepreneur Awards
A celebration of female business owners, their personal successes and achievements, the everywomen Entrepreneur Awards categories include International Expansion Award for a female founder who has successfully expanded her product/service to a new geographic market, Entrepreneur for Good Award for founding a business that contributes to the greater good and the Mumpreneur Award which will go to a woman who founded her business whilst raising a child/children aged 12 or under.(July deadline)
The f:Entrepreneur Awards
The f:Entrepreneur awards want to celebrate women, especially entrepreneurial women. Run by Small Business Britain, who – through reports, events and campaigns – champion small businesses all around the UK, these awards will ensure hard-working and dynamic female entrepreneurs are recognised. Enter by the end of September deadline.
You can also view our extensive list of awards for women in business here: https://awards-list.co.uk/awards-for-women/
SME National Business Awards
Now well-established, the SME National Business Awards wants to raise the profile of hardworking and enterprising SMEs and their entrepreneur owners. The perfect awards to enter and hopefully win to raise your profile. You’re also able to enter up to three different categories, and they also run regional editions if you were looking for local recognition as well. The deadline for the national competition is in May.
FSB Celebrating Small Business Awards
These awards are free to enter, and winning could really help to boost your business and brand. They also follow a similar regional/national format, with all the regional winners going on to compete in the UK finals held in May each year. FSB have been promoting and championing small businesses for over 45 years now, so a win with them will get you the recognition you deserve. There are 12 categories to choose from, including Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Start-Up Business of the Year and Service Excellence Award. Deadlines vary by region but are usually in throughout January and February.
What’s in it for you?
From building personal reputation to impressing new clients and investors, winning business leadership and entrepreneur awards is a great way to showcase your achievements. Here’s why:
- Raise your profile: building recognition for what you and your team have achieved certifies your place in the industry, perhaps even giving you the edge to move your career to the next level.
- Boost credibility: being certified as ‘award-winning’ helps to remove ambiguity in your business claims.
- Celebrate success: Take time to take stock of what you’ve achieved, review new priorities through constructive feedback, and take a moment to celebrate success with your team, clients, investors and customers.
How can Boost help you to win?
Boost’s team of award entry writers can increase your chances of winning an award significantly. We have helped our clients, ranging from SMEs to multinationals, win over 2,000 awards.
Writing a winning award entry is about making a compelling case to the judges, convincing them that you make the grade. That takes time, evidence, style and a winning angle. This is exactly where Boost excels.
Our in-house writing team are expert at identifying and articulating your ‘wow factor’, making your entry deliver exactly what the judges are looking for and stand out from the competition.
For a quote or informal chat about awards, please call: +44(0)1273 258703 or if you prefer use our Contact Boost page or Email: info@boost-awards.co.uk.
Any other recommended next steps?
Sign up for free monthly award deadline reminders
Fill in the form below and you will receive a free list of all the business leader awards and entrepreneur awards deadlines coming up in the next two months. Yup completely free. Never miss a deadline again. Just choose your industry in the dropdown and at the start of the next month your email will arrive.
(C) This article was written by Milly Bones and all content is the intellectual property of award entry consultants Boost Awards
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