How to enter

Online entry form

You must submit your application online.

Guidance notes

You can download guidance notes and sample entry forms from the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise website.

What you need to know

Read the background notes for the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise.

Submit your entry between 21 April and the last working day of September every year.

There is no entry fee.

Queen's Awards Helpline
Telephone: 020 7215 6880
Find out about call charges

Who can enter

To enter any of the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise categories, a business must:

• be based in the UK - including the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man
• be a self-contained enterprise which markets its own products or services
• be under its own management, with at least 2 full-time employees or part-time equivalents
• be able to demonstrate commercial success

Award categories

There are 3 categories of award:

• international trade
• innovation
• sustainable development

Businesses can enter more than 1 award category as long as they meet the criteria.

International trade

You must be able to show that your business has achieved substantial growth in overseas earnings and in commercial success for your business size and sector. You should be able to show either:

• outstanding achievement in international trade over 3 years
• continuous achievement in international trade over 6 years

Innovation

You must be able to show that your business has substantially improved in areas of performance and commercial success. You should be able to show either:

• outstanding innovation, continued over at least 2 years
• continuous innovation and development over at least 5 years

Achievements are assessed for:

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

Sustainable development

Sustainable development is any activity which ‘ensures a better quality of life for everyone, now and for generations to come’. You should be able to show either:

• outstanding advance in sustainable development over at least 2 years
• continuous achievement in sustainable development over 5 years

Achievements must be in either:

• invention, design, production, performance, marketing, distribution, after sales support of goods or services
• management of resources or people, or of relationships with other organisations (or their representatives)

How the winners are decided

Each category has a separate judging panel which makes a recommendation to the Prime Minister’s Advisory Committee. The committee then makes a final recommendation to Her Majesty The Queen, who decides the winners.

Winners are announced on 21 April each year. They receive a grant of appointment, a presentational item and an invitation from Her Majesty the Queen to a reception at Buckingham Palace. Awards last for 5 years.

You can search for previous award winners.

The Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion is for individual people who have played an important role in promoting enterprise skills and supporting entrepreneurs.

This could be by:

• giving up their time to help potential entrepreneurs in education or in starting a business
• working in education, training or youth work to help provide others with enterprise skills

How to enter

Online entry form

You must submit the application online.

Guidance notes

You can download guidance notes and sample entry forms from the Queen’s Awards website.

What you need to know

Entries are by nomination only. You can't nominate yourself for an award.

Read the guidance notes for the Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion.

Submit your entry between 21 April and the last working day of September every year.

There is no entry fee.

Queen's Awards Helpline
Telephone: 020 7215 6880
Find out about call charges

How the winners are decided

The judging panel makes a recommendation to the Prime Minister’s Advisory Committee. The committee then makes a final recommendation to Her Majesty the Queen, who decides the winners.

Winners receive an engraved crystal chalice and are invited to a reception at Buckingham Palace. The award is for life.