Choosing your Queen’s Award category is the starting point for all entrants.
With the 30 September deadline for the 2014 Queen’s Awards fast approaching, the first step in your application is to decide which of the 3 Awards your business or organisation should enter.
Here's a quick guide to help you make the right choice.
The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise recognise outstanding achievement by UK businesses in 3 categories. (You can enter more than 1, so long as you meet all the criteria.)
International trade
You must be able to show that your business has achieved substantial growth in overseas earnings, from an initial baseline of £100,000 minimum in the first year of the entry, and in commercial success for your business size and sector. You should be able to demonstrate either:
- outstanding achievement in international trade over 3 years
- continuous achievement in international trade over 6 years
Innovation
You must be able to show that your business has substantially improved in areas of performance and commercial success. You should be able to demonstrate either:
- outstanding innovation, continued over at least 2 years
- continuous innovation and development over at least 5 years
Your achievements will be assessed for:
- invention, design or production
- performance of services and products
- marketing and distribution
- after-sales support of goods or services
Sustainable development
We define sustainable development as any activity that ‘ensures a better quality of life for everyone, now and for generations to come’. You should be able to show either:
- outstanding advance in sustainable development over at least 2 years
- continuous achievement in sustainable development over 5 years
Your achievements must be in either:
- invention, design, production, performance, marketing, distribution, after sales support of goods or services
- management of resources or people, or of relationships with other organisations (or their representatives).
Enterprise promotion
Finally, there’s the Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion, which is awarded to individuals who have ‘played an outstanding role in promoting enterprise skills and attitudes’. Although you can’t enter this yourself, you can nominate anyone who you think fits the bill.
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