ABOUT DATES METHODOLOGY FAQS WINNERS AWARDS TEAM

In the face of unprecedented hardship and uncertainty for UK businesses over the pandemic, the IT sector has played a critical part in ensuring businesses can stay connected, adapt, and continue to trade in an increasingly digital society.

For our first year running SME News is delighted to present the IT Awards 2022!

In the face of unprecedented hardship and uncertainty for UK businesses over the pandemic, the IT sector has played a critical part in ensuring businesses can stay connected, adapt, and continue to trade in an increasingly digital society.

With that being said, we believe it is a perfect time to honour those leading companies whatever their size, across the industry. If successful, this accolade aims to provide you with the affirmation that you truly are a leader within your field as well as the third-party support and recognition to assist in getting the news out of your success.

The programme is open to any IT business currently trading in the United Kingdom that identifies as a small to medium-sized enterprise and is completely FREE to enter.

The IT Awards 2022 are judged purely on merit. In order to determine our worthy winners, our in-house research team carefully analyse the information that is available both online and in the public domain as well as any materials supplied by nominees.

Nominees are provided the opportunity to prepare a short case file disclosing details of their chosen business sector and practice, as well as any previous accolades awarded. Simply being nominated can have a huge impact on employee morale and customer engagement and for the companies that go on to win, there are endless ways to maximise the PR opportunity to their advantage.

If your business is named as one of our winners, you will be presented to our circulation of 78,000 and promoted on our website for a minimum of 12-months. Winners are welcome to choose from our competitively priced promotional packages, perfect for showcasing and celebrating NEW awards publicly, or our complimentary press items which are perfect for breaking the good news and using throughout the year’s marketing!

So, if you own, are part of, or would like to nominate a leading IT SME, then please complete the voting form. If you have any questions regarding participation or about the awards process, then please contact Awards Coordinator Holly Blackwood using the contact details provided.

Key Dates

Entries Open:

Monday 7th March 2022

Entries Closed:

Monday 6th June 2022

Winners Announced:

September 2022

Awards Coordinator

Holly is a dedicated and highly-motivated team member. Holly has spent much of her career in various marketing roles which puts her in a great position to really hone in on what businesses need to market their company. She is able to support award winners in selecting the right package to suit their individual needs and budget and then in turn gain maximum exposure on the back of their award win. Holly is extremely customer-focused ensuring an excellent service for all nominees and winners.

Our Methodology

Gathering Nominees

Researching nominees

The SME News team work ardently to identify market leaders, innovators and enterprising start-ups, driving many of the nominations themselves.

We also encourage external nominations via the SME News subscribers, online visitors, social media followers, clients and wider circulation.

Nominating parties are invited to put forward either third-party businesses whom they hold in high regard, or their own organisation.

Shortlisting nominees

All nominees are formally requested to accept their nomination. Should any firm or individual rather decline at this point, they are simply taken out of the running.

Those formally accepting are given the opportunity to submit additional materials in support of their nomination. Although there is no obligation to complete and supply material, we have found that many nominees value this stage, in the process, as much as our research team do.

Shortlisting
Evaluating and Judging

Evaluating and judging

Our dedicated research team will assess all information presented to them.

The team gather information independently from a variety of publicly accessible sources, which are assessed alongside any material supplied by a nominating party or the nominee themselves.

The research team casts their final judgment, based on various criteria including: client dedication, innovation, business growth, longevity, online reputation, customer feedback and business performance.

The lucky winners

Once winners are determined, they are personally notified before any public announcement is made, allowing time for any communications throughout the wider business and the coordination of marketing strategies.

Unfortunately, not everyone can be a winner; however, all who take part are encouraged to come back next year.

Once the press embargo is lifted, details of our SME award winners will be made public via the website, award winners’ magazine and subscriber newsletter.

The Lucky Winners
Making the Most of Your Win

Making the most of your win

We are prepared to offer a range of promotional packages and items to SME award winners, which vary from inclusion in the free-of-charge winners’ directory, to trophies, content in our magazine and on our website.

We encourage all winners to publicly announce their win independently. Announcements via company websites, social media, via publicly released press releases, and through local and national press are all great ways of maximising the exposure which can be gained from such an amazing achievement. If you have need of further advice, on how to gain maximum exposure from your win, please feel free to get in touch. We are happy to assist our clients with their needs.

How long has SME News been in circulation for?
SME News was first launched in 2017 making it one of AI Global Media’s newer publications. SME News is a quarterly magazine circulated to just over 78,000 recipients. The publication seeks to inform, entertain, influence and endorse the start-up and SME business culture in the UK. We aim to achieve this by providing quality editorial and rigorous research utilising a multimedia platform capable of targeting key stakeholders of dedicated advisers, experts and contributors. SME News is owned by AI Global Media, a UK based publisher which has over 200 issues to its name since 2010.
Where did the nomination come from?
In the interest of nurturing an environment proven to produce a high response rate, we don’t ask nominees to reveal any personal identity. With regards to methodology, we often nominate candidates ourselves and, when it comes to voting, if you didn’t cast a vote through a self-submission, it is likely to have been cast via a colleague or client who has received one of our direct invitations. One of the main mantras of our awards system is that your ability to succeed is not linked to the number of votes received, meaning your award is presented purely on merit. In the interest of security and fairness, we track unusual behaviour on our website to identify repeat votes and cyber-threats.
What happens if I agree to be shortlisted?
In the interest of focusing our efforts on relevant and eager candidates, we ask all nominees to accept their position on the shortlist giving people complete control in the decision on whether they would like to move forward with the award. Nominees who accept are subject to our scrutiny during the internal vetting procedure and are given the opportunity to present their own data to be considered alongside information collated by our research team. This can take up to 8 weeks for final assessments to be rendered.
Who makes the final decision?
We employ an entirely impartial panel of 5 individuals to conduct all research. At the helm of the panel, is a veteran academic leader with international academic and training experience and is well versed in research, fact-checking and mediation. SME News’ research is overseen by Martyn Walters, who holds a master’s in history and experience in coaching, sales and hospitality. This two-tiered system allows for a neutral mediator which we feel allows a more efficient method when determining individuals and companies most deserving of winning an award and has brought us much success and commendation throughout its use.
Is there a winner’s ceremony/award dinner and if so, when does it take place?
The short answer is, no. We decided to not focus our efforts on a celebratory event. Despite being an enjoyable occasion, it doesn’t support our group’s philosophy of cost-effective marketing. We follow the belief that optional costs associated with an award are better placed in a year’s worth of online marketing for the winner rather than spending large sums on a ceremonial evening. Our press announcements are made digitally, online and across our network to enforce our position as digital publishers. We aim to provide you with the tools (both digital and physical) to generate real-world value.
What happens if I am deemed successful?
After you have been notified we enforce a short press embargo while the programme manager will liaise with you to establish your preferred method of coverage. Generally, our coverage takes the form of a digital celebratory magazine, we also offer physical trophies, wall mounted certificates and plaques and digital certificates, web-based advertisements and press releases which can be custom designed for you or your company.
Are there any costs involved?
As mentioned there are no compulsory costs in accepting a nomination or winning an award with SME News. We do offer a variety of paid additional benefits for our winners, but these are completely optional. To demonstrate our commitment to no mandatory fees, all our winners are offered a free of charge promotional package. Our company policy will always remain: regardless of budget, our clients should always be able to garner the full value of the award and our seal of approval. We offer a variety of promotional opportunities to our winners, as we have an extensive network and we know, more than anyone, the wider business benefits from promoting industry awards.

Our Winners

Our featured winners are included in our celebratory awards magazine, published online and circulated to the circulation of SME News. All winners are included in our winners directory. Once a year's winners have been announced the full list of winners for that year will be available to view by clicking on the equivalent button displayed below.

It is the first year this award has run. Winners will be displayed here after the official announcement, so come back and see them soon!

Testimonials

What an amazing feeling I am so delighted to announce that I have won "Henna Artist of the year 2020" award, by SME NEWS UK Enterprise Awards. This feels so unreal and has not sunk in I can not thank everyone enough, who nominated and voted for me and for all the love and support I have from you all. I want to take this opportunity to thank all my family, friends, followers & supporters for always encouraging me and being so supportive in my henna journey. I want to especially thank my parents and my husband for all their support in this field of work which can be extremely long hours. Once again thank you so much to SME NEWS UK Enterprise Awards for this amazing award.

Ferzina Khokher

Dynamic HR Services is delighted to have been awarded 'Best HR Management Consultancy' in partnership with SME News. Proud to be recognised for striving to do things differently, and innovating in an industry which can sometimes appear staid. The SME news team have been fantastic. Thanks to everyone involved.

Natalie Lewis - Director, Dynamic HR Services

SME News were so very professional to communicate with, we received guidance and assistance exactly as required and we have no hesitation to recommend SME News to any future customer. Here at I Giardini di Sorrento Italian Restaurant, Cardiff, had an immediate increase in public awareness from both SME and our own media posts. We have grown in strength over past 3 years, as a direct result, and thank them for their contribution and wish them every success going forward.

Massimo Fraioli

The SME team are very friendly and helpful. SME News has helped to promote my business in a unique and very positive way. An award from SME means a lot to me as It is clear that they are team that are seeking out the best of British businesses and help them to succeed and grow.

Martin Rapley - The Bug Man

SME News has been highly professional throughout, taking the time to understand our company and what makes us stand out from the crowd. A publication that is a true insight in the SME market, the faces behind the businesses and the challenges they face building a company every day. A recommended read and something I encourage with my team.

Inspired B2B Marketing

The team at SME News is excellent and the whole process is easy and stress-free. They are very responsive and supportive making the entire journey an exciting one. We look forward to working with them next year and for many years ahead. I would highly recommend any company or individual to work with the team.

Shabbar DHalla - Managing Care Limited

SME News has been very professional from the start to end, we are delighted to have been recognised for our accomplishments and success to date. Communication has been excellent and questions answered immediately. Without doubt our business has been promoted professionally and has assisted in our local profile/ brand being elevated and has generated new enquiries locally.

Jean Orsbourn - Happy Kids Childminding Service

All emails were responded to promptly by the SME News team, I never had to chase anything up and the staff was always polite and courteous. The award has created not only the perfect PR opportunity but we have gained extra business because of the award. Its created a buzz locally and people are talking about our recent award. We've circulated a press release to all local press, lifestyle magazines, social media & website. This is the perfect opportunity, to create lots of noise about your business.

Julia Carr - Elegance Bridal Studio

My company has benefited greatly, we have another award to add to our collection and it's great publicity to shout about over social media. From a marketing and PR perspective, it's invaluable to win industry awards and it all helps because the health and fitness industry is fiercely competitive.

Emma Newham - MyBody Studios

The team at SME News were highly competent and professional. Along with being very helpful during the whole process. They used their expertise and resources to perfect the content to ensure the message and content was on point and relevant. I am delighted with their support and service and would recommend them to my connections and clients. I would most definitely work with SME News again in the future.

Rachel Wade - Opt HR Limited

Jessie and the team at the UK Enterprise Awards are a dream to deal with. They are responsive, helpful and friendly. It's refreshing to have an awards organisation that does not force you into paying extortionate amounts to be acknowledged for an award. Saying that, the exposure of having the nifty trophy and other features does make a huge difference in the way you can market your business as an award-winner, so well worth it. Thanks again to everyone involved.

Steve - Eyetooth Design

Our Awards Team

Our Awards Team

Jane Henderson - Director
Jane is one of three directors at AI Global Media, the publishing house behind SME News. Jane is committed to ensuring that each winner of an SME News award not only has a great experience but also gains maximum value for their win.

Jeremy Roe - Head of Research
Jeremy is dedicated to his research team and to the readers, nominees and award winners of SME News. Jeremy's diligent approach is carried across to this team members ensuring quality in the research carried out on behalf of SME News.

Martyn Walters – SME News Lead Researcher
Martyn joined the business in 2015 and rapidly became an integral part of the research team. Martyn has a keen interest in understanding businesses from those just starting out to those that have cemented their place in their market for decades or more. He also understands that an award win such as one of SME News’ can be a powerful marketing tool for small businesses making it key for the research team to select those most fitting and most worthy of one of these highly sought-after awards.

Steven Simpson - SME News Awards Team Leader
Steven came to the group in 2015 and has since proven to be a most respected, conscientious and valued team member. Steven oversees a number of SME News' key awards programmes ensuring that all nominees and winners receive a great experience from the team and that our winners are supported in gaining maximum exposure from such an amazing achievement.

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