This year’s winners of the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise have been announced, marking the contribution that SMEs make towards UK trade despite ongoing uncertainty around Brexit.
Over 200 businesses have been recognised with the awards, across four categories - international trade, innovation, sustainable growth, and promoting opportunity. 151 of this year’s winners are SMEs. The award for the category of international trade is given to companies who demonstrate a substantial and sustained increase in export earnings over three consecutive 12-month periods.
There were 129 winners in the trade category this year, each of them an important example to the thousands of exporting businesses who aren’t yet fully prepared for Brexit. Never has it been more important for businesses to look overseas to emerging markets beyond the EU for growth opportunities, and the trade winners show what can be done with proper planning and endeavour.
Royal Reception and Gala Dinner
Winners in all categories are invited to a royal reception at Buckingham Palace, while winners in the International Trade category are invited to a gala dinner hosted by the Institute of Export & International Trade. This year, the event is taking place at Fishmongers’ Hall on 25th September and will include a pre-dinner drinks reception, a 3-course meal and a notable guest speaker. The dinner is a fantastic opportunity for winners to celebrate their win and offers a wealth of networking opportunities with thought leaders and businesses involved in international trade.
See our report from the previous event where we were delighted to have Humphrey Hawksley, a BBC foreign correspondent and author, as the key-note speaker. You can register for tickets to this year’s dinner at: https://www.export.org.uk/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=1166835&group=
Winners form the ‘backbone of our economy’
Upon the announcement of this year’s winners, Greg Clark, the business secretary, said:
“These awards recognise the innovative products and services being provided by British businesses that are in demand across the world, as well as the sheer determination and hard work that comes with starting and running a business.
“Many of these winners are small businesses — the backbone of our economy — and we are backing them to grow, increase their productivity and create more jobs and opportunity across the UK through our modern industrial strategy.”
Applications for the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise 2020 open on 1 May 2019 and close on 10 September 2019. They are free to enter, and it is a self-nominating process. Applicants may apply for more than one award and entries are welcomed from all sectors. For more information and to apply, visit: www.gov.uk/queens-awards-for-enterprise.
Read more about this year’s winners at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/small-and-medium-enterprises-lead-outstanding-british-businesses-honoured-by-her-majesty-the-queen