Deadline nearing for chamber awards entries

Winners will be announced on November 21 at a black tie dinner and awards ceremony at The Halls Wolverhampton.

The awards are open to chamber members and non-members.

Entries can be submitted up to 5pm on Monday, September 16 via the chamber website: www.blackcountrychamber.co.uk/awards

Categories up for grabs include business in the community, employer of the year, international trade, manufacturing and engineering, consultancy and professional services, science, technology and innovation and family business of the year.

Also on the list for 2024 are two business of the year prizes, one for businesses with up to nine employees and the other for firms with 10 or more, plus awards for small business of the year, start-up of the year, young employee or apprentice of the year, business in schools, not for profit organisation and apprentice employer of the year.

Chamber of commerce events and project officer Marie Shuker said: “There is still time for companies to ensure they shine a light on their success stories by submitting entries for this year’s awards.

“We have received some great submissions as we get ready to honour the innovative, impactful and resilient businesses of the Black Country. We want chamber members and non-members across all sectors to share their progress and join us in November to celebrate the very best of our region.”

A second free award writing workshop will be held online by Osborn Communications, the PR agency winner of the 2021 chamber start-up prize, on September 3 to help firms to prepare submissions.

Following an in-person event held at the Black Country & Marches Institute of Technology in Dudley in June, advice will be shared including the best ways of preparing the required information, ways of impressing judges and knowhow on keeping to the word limits.

Attendees can learn practical steps from Osborn director Chris Leggett to ensure they give their companies the very best chance of catching the eyes of judges by meeting the category criteria.

The finalists will be announced in late September, before in-person judging takes place the following month.

Compere and host for the awards will be TV and radio sports broadcaster Amber Sandhu from Wolverhampton, who appears across the BBC and Sky.