Nominations for the Barclays’ annual High-Growth & Entrepreneur Awards have opened.
The awards which celebrate entrepreneurs’ success, leadership and positive impact on society and this year, the awards will be open to non-Barclays’ customers for the first time, with four out of the nine awards accessible to businesses across the UK.
Entrepreneurs will also have the chance to apply for the new International Expansion Award, which recognises businesses that have been able to establish a trading footprint and growth in international markets over the last three years.
Richard Heggie, Head of High Growth & Entrepreneurs Proposition at Barclays said: “We’re excited to announce that applications are now open for our High-Growth & Entrepreneur Awards 2018. Now in its third year, it has proved a valuable and influential business competition for entrepreneurs and scale up businesses across the country. Entrepreneurs play a critical role in adding value to the economy with innovative services and products, and they employ thousands of people in Britain.
It’s important that awards like this exist to recognise their achievements, and as a bank we are proud to be the partner to some of the most innovative businesses in the UK.”
Nominations can be submitted online at barclays.co.uk/EntrepreneurAwards ahead of the deadline on Friday, 18 May 2018. Applicants can consider categories that range from the Start-up Entrepreneur Award which is for a founder of a business with propensity for scale – to The Social Entrepreneur Award for those who are positively driving social and environmental change with their business.
Once nominations close, Barclays will be shortlisting regional winners with the help of their panel of judges, made up of leading individuals from the entrepreneurial eco-system. Regional winners will be selected in July, and national award winners in September.
The national award ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday, 10 October 2018.
The Barclays Entrepreneur awards will celebrate thriving entrepreneurs and the way they are driving innovation across the UK, and internationally. In addition to national winners, 35 regional winners will be chosen and will attend the national awards in October.
Award nominations will be accepted in seven regions (London, South West, South East, Eastern, Midlands, North, Scotland and Northern Ireland) for all awards except the Eagle Labs and Rise Awards.
The Awards
Open to everyone:
Start-Up Entrepreneur: for founder-owned start-ups offering innovative solutions, with growth potential
Scale up Entrepreneur: for established and disruptive fast-growth businesses
Social Entrepreneur: for entrepreneurs who are positively driving social and environmental change with their business
International Expansion: for businesses who have established a trading footprint and can demonstrate export sales growth and global reach
Open to Barclays clients only:
Entrepreneur Icons: for entrepreneurs demonstrating ‘scale up’ growth and sustained success, as well as providing support and mentoring for other entrepreneurs
Open to tenants only:
Eagle Labs Award: for businesses impacting the community through digital engagement, and leveraging the latest technologies in Aided Design
Rise Award: For businesses who have worked with Rise and/or the Barclays Accelerator programme that can change the way the financial industry operates
