The 2024 Award Categories

The environment is tough for all organisations, let alone small to medium sized business (1-100 employees), so it is important that SMEs have a clear focus on growth, success and sustainability. This award is intended to highlight successful businesses. 

They should be able to demonstrate a clearly defined strategy for developing and growing the business in terms of turnover, employment, innovative marketing and communications. Entrants will be able to demonstrate a strong sales focus. Staff personal development and total involvement of the workforce in the growth of the business will be important. In this ‘digital’ age, innovative approaches to product or service differentiation will be key to success. 

The winner will be able to demonstrate entrepreneurial characteristics with dynamic and measurable systems in place, to monitor performance, financial controls, marketing and sales growth.

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This category is open to organisations, irrespective of size or industry sector that can demonstrate a people centred approach to economic development through the development of organisational policies and practices which are aimed at distributing available assets for a stronger, more inclusive economy.  This will assist in the redirection of wealth back into the local economy, and places control and benefits into the hands of local people.

There are 5 key elements of community wealth building. Entrants should provide evidence in at least one of the following:

1. Plural ownership of the economy
   • Developing and growing small enterprises, community organisations, cooperatives and municipal ownership – locking wealth in place.
2. Making financial power work for local places
   • Increasing flows of investment within the local economy by harnessing and recirculating the wealth that exists locally, as opposed to attracting capital.
3. Fair employment and just labour markets
   • Recruitment from lower income areas, paying the living wage and building progression routes. Giving employees a voice at work, security, opportunity, fulfilment and respect.
4. Progressive procurement of goods and services
   • The development of dense local supply chains of businesses likely to support local employment and retain wealth locally: SMEs, employee-owned businesses, social enterprises, cooperatives and community business.
5. Socially productive use of land and property
   • Deepening the function and ownership of local assets held by anchor institutions, so that financial and social gain is harnessed by citizens. 

We will be looking for entrants who will be able to exhibit and provide examples of how they have put creativity, innovation and inclusivity at the fore when approaching community wealth building.

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Please note: Entries to The Glasgow Business Award for Community Wealth Building is restricted to businesses operating from business premises within the Glasgow City Council boundary.

The Entrepreneur of the Year Award will recognise the most inspiring, dynamic and driven leader. 

Entrants must show how they have overcome challenges to grow their successful business and how they have achieved this through risk taking, resilience, identification of opportunity, passion, commitment, market knowledge, innovation and inspiring and motivating their team.

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This category is open to any business that has developed a fully integrated, dynamic and innovative communication strategy. 

Judges are looking for the best communication strategy and implementation including communication design, range, techniques and channels, both offline and online as well as effective implementation. Communication can be with staff, customers, partners, suppliers and new markets to promote effective communication of the business, services and/or products. 

Communication channels can mean website, video, mobile, games, social media, advertising, email, printed material etc and should be able to be monitored and measured to ensure effectiveness.

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Many large and small companies recognise that their success can depend on workforce wellbeing and morale.

This category celebrates and rewards businesses who have, over the last year, committed to putting in place policies and practices to improve the health and wellbeing of their employees and through doing so, have created a fairer workplace, and have realised direct improvements to the performance and productivity of their business.

The Glasgow Business Award for Fair & Healthy Workplace is an opportunity for employers to show their commitment to fair work, and the health and wellbeing of their workforce, through the application of such practices and policies in their organisation.

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This category will celebrate and recognise the achievements of established family owned businesses across all industry sectors that have successfully blended strong business acumen and family engagement. 

The applicants will be judged on distinctive business practices which have helped the business prosper and grow alongside the family commitment to smooth succession planning.

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This award aims to recognise individuals or teams who are driving the development of green initiatives in the workplace, charities, community initiatives and other organisations. 

This individual or team will be championing sustainability.  This could be through making changes or innovations, big or small, to their products or services, working with green suppliers, encouraging and rewarding green behaviours, etc. 

Award winners may be self-nominated or nominated by another party. 

Entrants should provide evidence of at least one of the following: 

• Innovation: new and innovative ways of driving forward environmentally friendly practices, procedures or products.
• Impact: providing evidence of achievements in reducing the business's carbon footprint adverse environmental impact.

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This category is open to all businesses that have successfully developed innovative products, technologies or services; adapted an existing one for new markets, or have developed innovative business processes, models or ways of doing business. 

Entrants will show a high degree of creativity and dynamism and will be exploring ways to exploit their innovation to its fullest potential. They must be able to clearly demonstrate that there was a demand for the innovation and that it has proved successful in line with the objectives set. 

The judges will be looking for evidence of:

• Creation of a new innovative product, process or service, or a new way of working or adaption of an existing development within the last three years.
• Clear written description of the development (layman’s terms as far as possible) and its background, including any details of protection obtained.
• Commercial relevance of the development and actual or projected commercial success.

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This category is for businesses that can demonstrate carbon neutral practices that are aligned to help achieve, or are on track to realise, the ambitious net zero emissions target of 2030 for Glasgow as set by Glasgow City Council - 15 years before the Scottish Government’s official aim of 2045.

This category is open to all businesses that have, or are successfully innovating and pivoting to develop either technologies, services, products, internal operations or existing systems that serve to support in meeting the net zero goal for the City.

Businesses applying for this category will be able to showcase solutions that have been actively implemented, or that are currently underway which will help drive the objective of net-zero emissions of all greenhouse gases.

We will be looking for entrants who will be able to exhibit and provide examples of how they have put creativity, innovation and inclusivity at the fore when approaching their net zero targets.

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Please note: Entries to The Glasgow Business Award for Net Zero Achievement is restricted to businesses operating from business premises within the Glasgow City Council boundary.

This category is open to any organisation, irrespective of size or industry sector.

A successful entrant will be able to demonstrate that they are actively improving and adding value to their business through sustainable practices. Judges will be looking for evidence of efficiency savings in both internal operations and with product and/or service delivery/development.

Entrants should provide evidence in at least one of the following: Resource efficiency; Energy and Innovation.

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Open to Glasgow’s young entrepreneurs (35 years or under at 31 March 2023), the Young Business Person of the Year will have established a successful career progression and be able to clearly demonstrate business expertise with leadership and management prowess. 

You will also be able to provide a well-defined and innovative vision for future plans.

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This is a non-application award which will be promoted by our Media Partner, Evening Times and voted for by their readership in the lead up to The Glasgow Business Awards Dinner and Ceremony.

The winner of this Award will be announced at the Awards Dinner and Ceremony.

Please keep an eye on the Glasgow Times for details of how to nominate and vote for Glasgow's Favourite Business. 

The Glasgow Chamber of Commerce Award for Lifetime Achievement will be presented to an individual who, over his or her lifetime, has made a significant difference to our city by their actions, deeds, and great accomplishments.

This is a non-application award and the recipient will be decided by Glasgow Chamber of Commerce and announced at The Glasgow Business Awards Dinner and Ceremony.