Small businesses in Lancashire can get themselves noticed with these new awards

Britain’s largest business group, the Lancashire-headquartered Federation of Small Businesses, has launched its annual FSB Celebrating Small Business Awards which will culminate in a regional final in Manchester followed by a national final later in the spring and a chance to be crowned the UK Small Business of the Year.

Small business owners and the self-employed throughout the North West will have a choice of 12 different categories to enter including best family business, start-up, micro and larger business as well as awards for SMEs that excel with customer service, with their diversity and inclusivity practices and those who shine in their local communities.

The 2022 awards produced a record number of entries and included winners from a wide variety of sectors from across the region, and organisers hope that this year will see an even bigger response from the region’s innovative small businesses.

FSB regional chairman Chris Manka said “As we all know this is a very challenging time for small businesses, so this is the ideal opportunity for SMEs to remind everyone of the incredible work they are doing and showcase how important they are to our communities.

“We were overwhelmed with both the quantity and quality of the entries we had last time, and we hope many more of our amazing SME owners and the self-employed will take part this time around to prove again just how diverse and innovative our local small business communities are.”

Entrants will be judged by a panel of leading business experts with a wealth of experience in their respective industries.

The 12 FSB Celebrating Small Business Awards 2023 categories are:

Exporter of the Year

Sustainability Award

Diversity and Inclusion

Self-Employed/Freelancer

Service Excellence

Micro-business of the Year (0-9 employees)

Larger Small Business (10-100 employees)

Start-up Business of the Year

Young Entrepreneur (aged 30 and under)

Business and Product Innovation Award

Family Business of the Year

Community Award

For further information, or to enter the awards, which are open to both FSB members and non-members alike, visit www.fsbawards.co.uk