About The Best SME Awards
Gala Awards Night
23rd April at the Radisson Blu Hotel Stansted Airport near London.
About The Awards
After a successful first year the Best SME Awards are back for 2027. These prestigious national awards recognise and reward the UK’s innovative, enterprising, high performing and client focused businesses and their employees from across the UK.
Our categories are designed to celebrate excellent achievements in business, from Best New Business to Best Family Business, to those embracing the importance of sustainability and well established businesses. You have the opportunity to truly showcase your success.
Founded by multi-award winning entrepreneur Debbie Gilbert, the Best SME Awards matches the quality and ethos of the Best Business Women Awards which she founded in 2015. They are now considered to be one of the UK’s most prestigious awards for business women.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I enter?
Entries for 2027 will open on 18th November 2026. Entries are online. Entries will close on 1st February 2027 at 6pm – there are no extensions to this date under any circumstances. Our finalists will be announced by 14th February 2027.
There is no voting, this is a credible business competition, not a popularity contest! The finalists and winners are chosen by a panel of business experts based on the information supplied in the entry.
The cost to enter is £39.00 plus VAT per entry category. You can enter 2 categories (this is in addition to nomination categories) and we do advise specific entries for each one. Please note we do not charge for the Charity Champion category or nominations for Best Employee or Best Impact.
Entry Questions
The entry can be written in first or third person.
Each category has its own questions displayed on our website entry page.
The questions consist of information about your business, how you care for your customers and what has been instrumental in the growth of your business. We also want to know what you give back to your community and industry.
You will need to evidence your entry. Consider what you can add to help enhance your answers and to prove the points you have made. Ideas include case studies, accounts, testimonials, relevant photos, customer surveys, staff surveys, graphs, infographics and links to videos. Make your entry interesting and informative.
The judges will be looking for:
- How your business differentiates from your competitors
- A clear demonstration of passion, knowledge and business acumen for your industry
- Evidence and detail of financial performance
- Evidence of satisfied clients
Please make sure you are eligible to enter the category you are applying for and that you read our terms and conditions.
Do I have to provide financial information?
Yes, this is a business competition, and we need to know all the information about your business to enable the judges to make their decision. It’s important to answer all the questions as fully as possible. All information is in the strictest of confidence. Entries without financials will not reach the final.
What happens after the awards ceremony?
All Gold and Silver Winners are sent our logo to use and a certificate to personalise and a press template in order to help gain publicity. Plus we promote all winners via social media.
We invite all winners onto our podcast The Business Awards Show, which is one of the top 40 marketing podcasts in the UK. Additionally, all winners are added to our ‘Winners Club’.
Each year we hold two winners drinks events, where winners past and present get together with sponsors and judges. Over the years some amazing connections have been made.
If you have any more questions about our awards for businesswomen, do feel free to contact us.