Get your business in front of the founders of Mumsnet, Zoopla, and Made.com

The Startups Awards, the UK’s longest-running awards of its kind celebrating the best of Britain’s start-ups and small businesses is back for 2018.

With new categories to enter, a new judging panel, and new opportunities to get noticed, the Startups Awards 2018 is set to be bigger than ever before.

Now in its 15th year with The Start Up Loans Company as headline sponsor, this year’s awards gives you the chance to get your business in front of some of the UK’s most successful business leaders including Mumsnet founder Justine Roberts MBE, Zoopla Property Group founder Alex Chesterman OBE, and Made.com co-founder Julien Callède.

Submit your entry for the Startups Awards 2018 here.

Established in 2004 and run by Startups.co.uk, the Startups Awards is open to privately-owned UK businesses launched on, or after, 1 August 2014 and no later than 31 July 2017.

Entrants must have excellent potential and this will be judged on factors such as client wins, revenue growth, and profitability.

The awards is known for its ability to cherry-pick early-stage businesses that look set to evolve into fast-growth companies and industry heavyweights. Past Startups Awards winners include Cornerstone, Purplebricks, ClearScore, Raspberry Pi, The Cambridge Satchel Company, and, most recently, Bulb (2017’s overall winner).

This year’s awards sees the addition of three new categories to enter including:

• Side Hustle of the Year (an award introduced by GoDaddy to recognise the UK’s brilliant part-time businesses)
• Family Business of the Year (showcasing the achievements of families working together to achieve start-up success)
• Best Place to Work (an award to celebrate start-ups creating great environments for their teams to thrive).

These awards join 12 established awards categories such as Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Innovative Business of the Year, and The Start Up Loans Inspiring Entrepreneur of the Year.

All shortlisted start-ups will be eligible for the People’s Champion Award, which is voted for by the public and industry peers. One category winner will also be in the running for the overall award of The Start Up Loans Start-up of the Year. The full list of Startups Awards categories and their descriptions can be found here.

The Startups Awards 2018 shortlist will be unveiled on 8 October 2018, and the judging day will take place on 10 October 2018.

Other judges joining the 2018 panel include Griselda Togobo of Forward Ladies, innocent drinks and JamJar Investments co-founder Jon Wright, Balderton Capital partner Rob Moffat, Vita Coco CEO EMEA Giles Brook, and many more high-profile names. View the judges here.

Following the judging day, the winners of the Startups Awards 2018 will be unveiled at a prestigious awards ceremony taking place at the Royal Garden Hotel, London on Thursday 21 November. Oli Barrett MBE, the serial entrepreneur and celebrated master of ceremonies, will return as Startups Awards host.

So, do you want to be a Startups Awards 2018 winner? Enter here by Friday 14 September. 

You can find out more about the Startups Awards here and follow the hashtag #StartupsAwards.