This award is for the business which demonstrates a significant and positive commitment in the community. Judges will select the business which has tackled pressing social issues and can provide a clear understanding of the positive impact their actions have had. Entrants will outline key facts and impact figures to support their submission.

The award to recognise employers who excel in developing their workforce and engaged employees in company values. Entrants must detail successful plans to develop employees and policies to promote diversity and inclusion, including any impact on retention and recruitment. You must also outline efforts to promote employee welfare and engagement.

For businesses of all sizes and sectors, with sound financial management you will excel as an exporter or in assisting others to export goods across international borders. Working to a strategic vision, you have developed your markets and overcome issues such as Brexit changes to build on our region’s heritage of strong relationships with international partners and customers.

For businesses of all sizes within the manufacturing and engineering sectors. Entrants must show their contribution and advancement in their field, including efforts to diversify your offering or engage new markets, particularly around meeting the challenges of inflation and increases in raw material prices, to write the new chapter in our industrial history.

This award recognises a company that has demonstrated exceptional performance and impact in delivering value to its customers, bringing quantifiable improvement in client performance. You will have testimonials, long-term repeat business, a record in innovation and can show the development of a team achieving sustainable and profitable growth.

The award to celebrate businesses demonstrating exceptional advancements in science, technology, and innovation, who contribute to positive societal impact. You must be able to demonstrate a new approach to solving a problem, with potential for scalability and future impact, as well as evidence of market adoption and customer satisfaction.

Aged 25 or under and working in a Black Country business, we are looking for a young employee or apprentice who have made a real difference to use an apprenticeship to boost their career. Judges will be interested to hear how the young person or apprentice has made an impact on their place of employment while building skills for life.

Honouring a small company with consistent revenue growth and profitability, your company will punch above its weight with innovative products, services or processes, while creating employment opportunities in a positive workplace culture. With sound financial management you will be delivering against a strategic plan to generate further success.

Open to businesses registered since January 2023, your business will have made a positive impact growing revenues and customer satisfaction. Your company may now employ part time or full time workers who deliver on the vision for your start-up. Already gaining traction in either the private or public sector, you must show credible plans for the next 12 months and beyond.

Celebrating the best, established family business across any sector, you will need to show how you work together to achieve ambitions for growth. As well as strong financial performance, you will deliver against defined family values that shape company culture, decision-making and overall business operations as well as innovation amid changing market conditions.

This category is open to all businesses regardless of size, sector or type, who work with education partners and can show a significant positive impact on students, their school community and the wider community. You will show how you enthuse pupils, plus other achievements through data, testimonials, case studies, media coverage or other relevant evidence.

This award recognises an outstanding non-profit organisation that can demonstrate exceptional impact, innovation and commitment to its mission. Demonstrating a clear and measurable mission aligned with a specific social cause, you will show success stories and quantitative data to support claims of impact, plus sound financial management and innovation.

Recognising the commitment employers undertake to train staff under a recognised apprenticeship scheme, entrants must have taken on apprentices in the last three years. We want to hear about your journey, the challenges and how they were overcome to bring success to your business while creating demonstrable impact for the workforce of the future.

Recognising a company with consistent revenue growth and profitability, your company will implement innovative products, services or processes, while generating high levels of employee engagement, retention and positive workplace culture. Achieving high customer satisfaction, the winner will have leadership excelling in vision, communication and strategic planning.