What the awards are
The Business Champion Awards are the UK business awards for entrepreneurs, small and medium-sized businesses and fast-growth companies. Fourteen categories cover everything from a founder’s first three years to a lifetime’s achievement, with specialist awards for sustainability, inclusion and community. Every category awards Gold, Silver and Bronze, judged by an independent panel of business leaders.
The awards were founded in 2021, and the first winners were named in 2022 at the East Wintergarden, Canary Wharf. The 2023 winners were celebrated at the same venue. The 2027 awards open for entries on 1 September 2026 and close at 5pm on 31 December 2026, with the black-tie grand final in London on 23 March 2027.
Who runs them
The awards are organised by CBM Events, a Capital Business Media company. Capital Business Media publishes Business Matters, the UK business magazine for SMEs, founded in 1986. Its editorial team hears from thousands of business owners a year, which is where the idea for the awards came from – and why the programme is built around the realities of running a small business.
A welcome from Richard Alvin, awards director
Why did we start another UK business awards programme?
For more than 25 years my team and I have told the stories of British business in print and online, most of that time through Business Matters. Every week we hear from founders breaking the mould, family firms turning themselves around, and teams building companies with a culture people want to be part of. Business is hard, and the highs deserve to be recognised properly.
We launched the Business Champion Awards in 2021, after partnering with other awards programmes for more than a decade, because we thought the awards industry itself needed some of the innovation it rewards. Entering should not be stressful, slow or expensive. So we built a short online entry that saves as you go, a judging process where finalists present from their own desk, and a fee that includes your seat at the grand final if you make the shortlist.
If it is time to shine a spotlight on what you and your team have achieved, or to nominate someone who deserves it, I look forward to reading your entry, and to meeting you at the grand final in London on 23 March 2027.
Richard Alvin
Awards director, Business Champion Awards
How the awards work
- Enter online by 5pm on 31 December 2026. Three short sections: about you, your entry, your financials, Should take less than an hour.
- Shortlisting. Every entry is read and scored against the category criteria. Finalists are announced on 1 February 2027.
- Finalist presentations. Each finalist presents for 45 minutes, online, to their category’s panel of four judges, who meet at the awards office. No travel, no cost.
- The grand final. Gold, Silver and Bronze in every category are announced on stage on 23 March 2027.
The facts at a glance
- Founded: 2021 (first winners 2022)
- Organiser: CBM Events, a Capital Business Media company, 7 Bell Yard, London WC2A 2JR
- Awards director: Richard Alvin
- Categories: 14, each with Gold, Silver and Bronze
- Entry: online, £199–£299 + VAT depending on date; 25% off multiple entries by the same company
- Judging: four judges per category; 45-minute online finalist presentations
- Grand final: 23 March 2027, London, black tie
- Media partner: Business Matters
- Hashtag: #RewardBusiness
Contact
Entries and general enquiries: awards@cbmeg.co.uk · Sponsorship: Richard Alvin, ralvin@cbmeg.co.uk · 020 7206 2502