List Of Categories

Best Business in the Community

Sponsored and judged by Essex and Suffolk Water

Is your company actively engaged in putting back something into the local community? You might, for example, be helping out at youth centres, helping to renovate parks and woodlands, be providing training or re-training, donating used equipment, helping to support deprived children; the list is almost endless.

Remember that this is a "company" award. See Business Hero/Heroine for "individuals" awards.

Best Company Training Programme

Sponsored and judged by Pursuit Recruitment

Employees are a primary asset of any organisation, whose activities and abilities can significantly enhance or impact upon business productivity and success. Investment in a financially viable, well structured, focused and results orientated training programme should realise benefits within individual employees' personal development as well as company wide success.

Best Growing Business

Sponsored and judged by NatWest

Is your company experiencing rapid growth in turnover versus prior years and/or business targets, or increased the range of products or services offered, or perhaps grown in personnel, or created strategic alliances with partners?

Your company must have been trading for a minimum of two years at June 2008.

Best Retailer

Sponsored and judged by Lindvale VW

Are you a retailer in the county, proud of your customer service, innovative in your approach to selling and generally feel that you are at the leading edge of sales to the public?

Business Hero or Heroine

Sponsored and judged by Circle Services Group

Not to be confused with "Young Entrepreneur of the Year" or "Best Business in the Community" this category is designed for those individuals in business – employers or employees – who are committed to, for example, helping charities and/or local community groups meet the needs of those who depend upon them.

If this sounds like someone you know why not nominate them for an award and submit an entry on their behalf. Alternatively, why not enter on your own behalf and publicise the needs of your chosen charity.

Customer Care and Services

Sponsored and judged by Bird Luckin

Do you have a company policy that sets targets for customer care and service? Does everyone in the company understand how their individual actions impact on these targets?

What is it that your company does to set yourselves apart from the competition?

Environmental Awareness

Sponsored and judged by Barratt Eastern Counties & David Wilson Homes

Whatever business you are in have you implemented changes in your processes or procedures to reduce waste or unnecessary materials to the benefit the environment?

Have you introduced new energy saving products? Or, you might even be in the business of training others to become more environmentally aware.

Excellence in Marketing

Sponsored and judged by Vantis Business Recovery Services

Have you implemented imaginative and successful marketing activities within the last twelve months? "Activities" could relate to an overall marketing strategy or the implementation of a specific campaign for a product, service or organisation.

Innovation

Sponsored and judged by Anglia Ruskin University

Designed to recognise innovative solutions right across the spectrum of commerce and industry. It is not so much the "size" of the solution but the innovation brought to bear.

While an IT solution may well provide a contender, there are so many other areas of business where innovation plays an important role.

Young Entrepreneur of the Year

Sponsored and judged by Colchester Institute

We are looking for an entrepreneurial business person, aged between 16 and 30 years, who identifies market opportunities, pushes obstacles to new ideas aside, is prepared to take calculated risks, and achieves success. The entrepreneur will lead and motivate people to exceed goals and targets.

If you fit the criteria above, why not nominate yourself for an award in this category and serve as a role model to other budding entrepreneurs? Or, if you know of such a person, why not submit an entry on their behalf?

Essex Business of the Year

Sponsored by Bird Luckin and Wollastons

The Essex Business of the Year is selected from the finalists of each business category excluding Business Hero/Heroine and Young Entrepreneur of the Year which are both individuals awards.

All the judges participate in the selection process led by Bird Luckin and Wollastons.