The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are a globally-recognised royal seal of approval for UK companies. The deadline for applications for the Queen’s Awards 2021 is 9 September 2020.

The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are for outstanding achievement by UK businesses in the categories of:

• innovation
• international trade
• sustainable development
• promoting opportunity through social mobility

Eligibility

To apply for the Queen’s Award for Enterprise your organisation must:

• be based in the UK (including the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man)
• file its Company Tax Returns with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)
• be a self-contained enterprise that markets its own products or services and is under its own management
• have at least 2 full-time UK employees or part-time equivalents
• demonstrate strong corporate social responsibility

Your organisation can be a business or non-profit.

Each of the award categories has additional entry criteria.

International Trade

To apply for the International Trade award, you must also:

• have made a minimum of £100,000 in overseas sales in the first year of your entry and show year-on-year growth
• prove that your organisation has achieved outstanding growth in overseas earnings relative to your business size and sector
• prove steep year-on-year growth (without dips) in overseas sales over 3 years – or substantial year-on-year growth (without dips) over 6 years

Innovation

To apply for the Innovation award, you must also:

• have an innovation that has not been sold before
• have had your innovation available on the market for at least 2 years
• have recovered all the investments made in your innovation or show that the innovation will recover its full costs in future
• show outstanding commercial success as a result of innovation over 2 years – or continuous commercial success over 5 years

Your innovation should be in one of the following categories:

• invention, design or production of goods
• performance of services
• marketing and distribution
• after-sale support of goods or services

Sustainable Development

To apply for the Sustainable Development award, you must also:

• show how you have achieved outstanding sustainable development for more than 2 years
• provide evidence of the benefits or positive outcomes of your actions or interventions

Promoting Opportunity through social mobility

To apply for this award, your organisation must also have supported people from disadvantaged backgrounds in improving their job skills and their chances of finding work.

This includes doing one or more of the following, for at least 2 years:

• providing work experience or careers advice
• mentoring
• offering interview and job-related training
• making sure your recruitment process is open to everyone

You’ll need to prove the benefits for:

• the people you’ve supported
• your organisation
• your employees
• the wider community

Find out how to apply