The Queen's Awards for Enterprise

I was invited along this evening by UKTI to an event to raise awareness of the Queen's Awards for Enterprise, held at Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus. http://www.daresburysic.co.uk/ UKTI are proving to be most helpful to me in my quest to become a world-class speaker so I wanted to support this occasion. Although I am not ready to apply yet (who knows one day?!) I found it most interesting and shall look out for companies to nominate for it. If successful we would both get an invitation to the palace!

Could it be you? This information was sent onto me by Steven Brice, the secretary of the awards. He very kindly escorted me to my car as I paddled through the torrential rain!

The Queen's Awards for Enterprise
The Queen’s Awards Scheme, originally known as “The Queen’s Award to Industry”, was instituted by Royal Warrant in 1966 following the recommendations of a Committee chaired by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. The purpose of the Scheme was to encourage UK businesses to innovate and export more to help the UK out of an adverse balance of payments situation that was prevalent at the time. The Awards have been in existence for over forty years and they continue to be the UK’s most prestigious awards for business performance. In today’s global economy, where the rate of change and the level of competition is unprecedented, it is important that the UK continues to be highly flexible and innovative to ensure future wealth creation and continued growth in the UK economy.
The Queen’s Award to Industry was replaced in 1976 by two separate Awards – The Queen’s Award for Export Achievement and The Queen’s Award for Technological Achievement. In 1993 a third Award category, The Queen’s Award for Environmental Achievement, was added. The Awards Scheme continued until 1999 when a Committee chaired by HRH The Prince of Wales carried out a comprehensive review. The Review Committee recommended that the Awards be known generically as “The Queen's Awards for Enterprise”. The Awards now consist of a business Award with three separate categories, and an Award for individuals, The Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion, launched in July 2004.
Business Awards:
Any UK-based business, employing at least two full-time people (or part-time equivalent), which can demonstrate commercial success and outstanding achievement in its field can apply for a Queen's Award. Companies do not need to be sponsored or nominated. The three business Award categories are:
International Trade
Conferred on companies which have demonstrated commercial success and outstanding growth in overseas earnings over three years or continuous growth in overseas earnings over six years.
Innovation
Granted to organisations which have demonstrated commercial success through outstanding or continuous development of innovative products or services over two or five years respectively. If more than one business unit has produced or marketed a product, provided a service, or has developed a technology then a joint application may be eligible depending on the contribution made. Non-profit making organisations, including charities, are eligible to apply in the Innovation and Sustainable Development categories, provided they maintain an accounting system which enables them to identify their business performance and degree of commercial success.
Sustainable Development
Awarded to companies which have achieved commercial success through the outstanding or continuous integration of environmental, social, economic and management aspects of sustainable development into their business, over two or five years respectively.

The Queen's Awards Office is charged with ensuring that Queen's Awards are only granted to business units that maintain the highest standards of propriety. Therefore applicants may be required to complete a Declaration of Corporate Responsibility providing assurances of responsible conduct in the selection and control of suppliers, management of the production process and of human resources, and customer service to ensure that they are good corporate citizens. Applicants may also be asked to provide an auditor's certificate confirming the performance figures quoted in the application form.
The corporate Awards are made annually by The Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister, who is assisted by an Advisory Committee that includes representatives of Government, industry and commerce, and the trade unions. They are announced each year on 21 April, The Queen’s birthday. The competition is free to enter and there is no pre-determined number of Awards granted; much depends on the strength of competition.
Every unsuccessful applicant will receive detailed feedback about the strengths and weaknesses of their case. This can be a useful benchmarking exercise and help an applicant with a successful application in a later year.
Winning a Queen’s Award puts a company in an elite class of successful businesses. The Queen’s Award Emblem is recognised both nationally and internationally as a mark of quality and success and, if used with energy and creativity, it can be a very powerful marketing tool. The business Award Emblem has a currency of five years and it can be displayed on a website, stationery, advertising, products, and winners can fly the Queen’s Award flag at their premises.
The Award can help those that win in a variety of ways. It can generate television coverage and extensive publicity in national, regional and trade press. It can also give businesses, especially small businesses, instant credibility and give a significant boost to staff morale, motivation and help with recruitment. The Award also gives companies a competitive edge in opening doors in difficult overseas markets, attracting new business and raising capital.
There are three main events that follow the annual announcement of the Award winners. A Celebratory Reception for the business Award winners and recipients of the individual Awards, hosted by The Queen’s Awards Office, is held shortly after the April announcement at a venue in London. The guest of honour is usually a Member of the Royal Family who delivers a congratulatory speech. Later in the year, an evening Reception is given by The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace. The Queen’s personal wish is that representatives, drawn from different parts of the business, are invited to attend to help recognise the contribution made by the whole workforce. Finally, on a mutually convenient date, a formal presentation of the Award is made on behalf of The Queen by the Lord Lieutenant of the County, at the winner’s premises. Staff and family members, customers, suppliers and local dignitaries are often invited.
Each year The Queen’s Awards Office conducts some market research to gauge the benefits that can be derived from winning the Award. Queen’s Award holders are contacted after they have held the Award for 12 months, so that they are better placed to comment about the benefits. In March 2008, questionnaires were sent to the 115 Award winners that were successful in 2007. Of the winning companies surveyed:
82% reported a significant boost to staff morale which, in turn, led to a highly
motivated and more productive workforce
80% of respondents believed their Queen’s Award had added commercial value to
their firms
69% gained increased recognition in the UK, whilst 57% found the Award
raised their profile overseas
55% of respondents said it was the most valuable award their business had won, and
41% of respondents said it gave them an edge over their competitors

Further information about the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise can be found on the website at www.queensawards.org.uk. For the 2009 Awards, it will be possible to make a business Award application on-line. The deadline for submission is midnight on 31 October 2008. Alternatively, application forms can be obtained by calling 08705 13 44 86.


So what is stopping you?

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