The biggest, best, glitziest, most glamorous business awards that the Entrepreneurial Heart of Britain has to offer - the Buckinghamshire Business Awards - are open for entries!

It may have already slipped your mind as to just how darn amazing 2017’s Buckinghamshire Business Awards were. If so, for shame! Remind yourself here in picture form and here in Twitter form, and remind yourself of the winners here.

Never ones to rest on our laurels, ever since the party poppers stopped popping on Friday June 30th, we at Buckinghamshire Business First have been devising our plan to make 2018’s awards even more memorable. You'll have to wait to see what we have in store for you on the night, but for now we'll tell you that the ceremony takes place on Tuesday May 22nd 2018 at the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, and the closing date for entries is January 31st 2018. Best of luck!

Applications are now open across 12 categories:

• Apprentice and Young Person Employer of the Year Award - Sponsored by Buckinghamshire County Council
• Best Buckinghamshire Meeting, Conference & Events Venue of the Year Award - Sponsored by Visit Buckinghamshire & The Chilterns
• Best in District – three separate awards sponsored by Aylesbury Vale, Wycombe, and Chiltern & South Bucks District Councils
• Business Leader of the Year Award - Sponsored by Thomas International
• Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility Award - Sponsored by Heart of Bucks
• Excellence in Customer Service Award - Sponsored by Mix96
• Growth Business of the Year - Sponsored by Buckinghamshire Thames Valley Local Enterprise Partnership
• International Trade & Export Award - Sponsored by Heathrow
• New Business of the Year - Sponsored by B P Collins
• Small Business of the Year

In addition, each finalist from all of the above categories will be eligible for the Company of the Year Award. Will you follow in the footsteps of Silverson Machines?

“Winning Company of the Year is a real honour, particularly since we were up against such stiff competition. We’ve worked hard to grow the business, to expand into international markets and to support and encourage young people in their careers, so it’s wonderful to be honoured for our achievements.” - Silverson Machines, 2017 Company of the Year

Award Entry Workshop – November 30th

Avoid heartache next May. Give yourself the very best chance of putting together a winning application by attending our final Award Entry Workshop on November 30th in Stokenchurch.

Why attend?

• It's free and it will help you win an award!
• Improve your chances of standing out from the crowd with tips, tricks, dos and don’ts
• Kick start your entry - come away with the bones of your entry completed and an idea of the categories you can enter
• Hear from the judges - they’ll tell you what they want to see in an entry and what to expect if you are lucky enough to have a category judge come to visit your business
• Hear from the winners - 2017 winners explain what winning has meant to their business

Book your free place here and begin your road to glory!

Sponsor in the Spotlight – Visit Buckinghamshire

The Buckinghamshire Business Awards being open for entry also mean one more thing – the return of Sponsor in the Spotlight! Every newsletter edition we will shine a light on one of our valued award sponsors. Up first: Visit Buckinghamshire and The Chilterns.

By Lucy Dowson, Tourism Development Manager, Visit Buckinghamshire and The Chilterns

"Visit Buckinghamshire and The Chilterns is delighted to once again sponsor a category at the prestigious Buckinghamshire Business Awards. In 2018, to support an ever increasing industry sector, a brand new award has been created: Best Buckinghamshire Meeting, Conference and Events Venue. As a judge of this award, I can say that it not only reinforces just how important the tourism industry is to the economy of Buckinghamshire, it also allows us to reward our brand ambassadors, the ones who are flying the flag for tourism in the county.

"When selecting the finalists, which is not an easy job, we are looking at how the entrants have demonstrated their commitment to promoting their tourism business in the county, and in particular how they have added value to Buckinghamshire’s tourism offering. We  look at their plans for growth, and how they recruit, train and retain their staff, and we also take customer feedback into consideration. Choosing the finalists will not be easy!

"Visit Buckinghamshire and The Chilterns is a useful online resource helping people discover all that is fantastic about this beautiful county. Buckinghamshire offers visitors a wealth of historic houses, glorious gardens and family friendly attractions, as well as magnificent countryside, all alongside exceptional accommodation (from B&Bs to luxury country estates).

Search our extensive database of attractions, accommodation, events, activities, and food and drink venues to make the most out of your visit. Visit www.visitbuckinghamshire.org or contact me at lucy.dowson@visitbuckinghamshire.org."