With Belfast being renowned as a hub of innovation across industry, this award aims to celebrate businesses who have demonstrated innovative approaches in products, processes, technology or campaigns to enable significant advancements to their business and/or the end-user.

The Customer Service Excellence Award will be presented to a company that demonstrates an ongoing commitment to improving its standards of customer service. The winner will have implemented successful customer service strategies and recognised opportunities that have had a significant impact on customer experience.

This category will recognise those businesses that are reaching out beyond their day-to-day business activities to make a positive impact to the community in Belfast. The Contribution to the Community Award is open to companies which have run either one-off projects or long-term, ongoing initiatives aimed at engaging business with the local community and bringing about great social benefit.

Open to all businesses that have been founded or are new to Belfast since 1st November 2022.

This award is open to all businesses who have exhibited exceptional good practice and exemplary contributions towards improving diversity and inclusion in their business and/or industry, a demonstration of a commitment to equality and ability to show progress towards a genuinely inclusive workplace is also key.

This category is open to all family owned and run businesses in Belfast.

Open to all businesses which, since 1st November 2022, can demonstrate growth in a challenging business environment. This may be new markets, products or services.

This award seeks to find those businesses which provide an excellent, supportive, inclusive, secure and nurturing environment for their employees.

Aimed at those who have successfully developed and implemented a marketing or communication strategy or campaign that has delivered measurable benefits.

This award will seek to reward a business premises’ design that is fit for purpose, exhibits all-round design and layout excellence and suits the needs and requirements of both staff and customers.

Open to Belfast’s young entrepreneurs (35 years or under on 31st March 2024) who will have achieved commercial success in building their business or, who hold a strategic and influential position within an existing company.

The Team of the Year Award has been designed for businesses that can demonstrate and show real life examples of how teamwork has led to their success and their consistent, high levels of customer care and service.

Open to an individual within a Belfast business. The person will have played a significant role in the development and success of the business. They may also be influential or involved in the wider community or with civic duties. They may or may not be the owner of a business.

This is a business that exists purely in the digital marketplace, either as an online business or the provision and support of online and digital services to other businesses.

Entrants will be asked to select if they are entering (i) Restaurant or (ii) Coffee Shop and can only enter one option.

A creative business in Belfast might be a design house, radio / television, production etc. or you might be an artist, make-up, props for the film industry, fashion designer, music studio or something else entirely!

Open to an individual within a business who is not the boss. Someone who plays an integral part and contributes to the success of the business: that valued employee who you can’t live without.

This category will identify those technology-based businesses located in Belfast who show innovation and entrepreneurship. We want to hear from engineers, researchers, developers and those working in the knowledge-economy.

This award is for companies that are successful in exporting and committed to continued growth in their international trade. Entrants will show expertise in planning and implementing an export strategy including managing currency fluctuations, credit control, international marketing and the successful development and expansion of their overseas operations.

Has your business embraced all things ‘green’ and made changes that directly impact on the environment, your business, staff and customers?

This award will recognise Belfast’s most dynamic and inspiring successful social enterprise. If your organisation strives for business excellence, contributes to society by bringing about economic, technological, social or environmental changes, then this category is for you.