North East Business Awards and the region's development priorities

What to take away

• Business awards in North East England are not just a night out: many categories now ask you to show how you support regional growth deals, LEP funding priorities and Newcastle development plans.
• The North East Business Awards categories cover sectors from manufacturing to digital, with separate recognition for small firms, exporters and apprentices.
• Regional growth deals and LEP funding have shaped what judges look for, especially around job creation, supply chains and innovation.
• Named regional bodies such as the North East LEP, Newcastle City Council and the North East Chamber of Commerce often sit on judging panels or set criteria.
• Your entry needs evidence: GVA contribution, business counts and local impact data help, and you can find official figures from the Office for National Statistics.

North East Business Awards categories explained

The North East Business Awards are run by local newspaper groups and chambers, and they rotate through a set of core categories each year. The exact list varies by organiser, but most programmes include company of the year, small business of the year, and newcomer of the year.

There are also awards for export, innovation, manufacturing, digital and rural business. Some schemes add apprenticeships, sustainability and community impact.

Each category has its own entry form and evidence requirements. For example, a small business entry might need two years of accounts, while an innovation entry needs a description of the product and its market. Judges often score against a published matrix, so read the criteria before writing anything.

For a Newcastle software firm, the digital category might ask how many jobs you have created in the region and whether you work with local universities. A Teesside manufacturer entering the manufacturing category would show output, supply chain spend and any export sales.

The categories are designed to reflect the region's industrial mix, which still includes chemicals, automotive and offshore energy alongside newer tech and health sectors.

One thing that has changed in recent years is the emphasis on economic contribution. It is no longer enough to say you are a good employer. You need to show how your growth adds to the regional economy, whether through GVA, wages or supply chain spending.

That shift mirrors the priorities of the bodies that fund and support regional development. Our guide to demand signals worth tracking sets out how category changes often follow funding priorities.

If you are planning a submission, start by mapping your strengths to the categories on offer. Do not enter everything. Pick two or three where you have hard numbers and a clear story. That also helps you avoid the trap of generic entries that judges see every year.

How categories connect to regional growth deals

Regional growth deals are agreements between the UK government and local areas that transfer funding and powers to combined authorities or local enterprise partnerships.

In North East England, the North East LEP and the seven local authorities have used growth deal money for transport, skills and business support. The deals are overseen by the Department for Business and Trade and HM Treasury, and they set out measurable outcomes.

Awards categories often mirror those outcomes. If a growth deal prioritises low-carbon energy, you will see an award for sustainability or clean growth. If it prioritises digital skills, there will be a technology or apprenticeship category. Organisers want winners who can show they are helping to deliver the regional economic strategy.

The mapping is not exact, but the pattern is easy to see.

Category type	Growth deal priority it usually maps to	Named body involved
Manufacturing	Low-carbon industrial investment	North East LEP
Digital and technology	Digital skills and connectivity	North East Combined Authority
Export	International trade and investment	Department for Business and Trade
Small business	Local supply chains and jobs	North East Chamber of Commerce
Sustainability	Net zero and clean growth	Newcastle City Council

For entrants, this means your entry should reference the relevant growth deal priorities. If you are in Sunderland and your project supports the local industrial strategy, say so. If you have received growth deal funding, explain what you delivered with it. Judges from the public sector will recognise the language and the metrics.

It also helps to know which body leads on each priority. The North East LEP has been the main strategic body, though its functions are being absorbed into new combined authority arrangements. Newcastle City Council leads on city centre regeneration and inclusive growth.

The North East Chamber of Commerce represents business interests across the region. Mentioning these bodies in your entry shows you understand the local funding picture.

One practical step is to download the latest regional growth deal documents and highlight the sections that mention your sector. Then use those phrases in your entry, but only where they are true. Judges can spot a copy-and-paste job. If your business genuinely supports a priority, the evidence will be there in your accounts, your payroll or your contracts.

LEP funding and what it means for entrants

LEP funding has been a major source of business support in North East England. Local enterprise partnerships received money from central government to run growth hubs, grant schemes and skills programmes.

The North East LEP, for example, has administered funds for small business growth, innovation and site development.

If you have received LEP funding, it can strengthen an awards entry. It shows an independent body has already assessed your project and found it worthy of public money. But you need to be careful about confidentiality. Some grant agreements restrict what you can say publicly. Check before you put figures in an entry form.

Even if you have not had LEP funding, you can still show alignment with LEP priorities. For instance, if the LEP has identified a skills gap in engineering, and you run a training programme, that is relevant. You do not need to have received a grant to demonstrate that you are part of the solution.

The funding picture is changing. As LEPs are wound down and combined authorities take on more responsibilities, the language in awards criteria may shift. But the underlying principles of growth, jobs and innovation will remain. Entrants who can show they are delivering against those principles will still score well.

Before you build a case around a shifting funding pot, run a market outlook check these signals so your claims stay current.

Some awards are sponsored by bodies that distribute LEP funding. A sponsor may be looking for success stories to justify their own investment.

That does not mean the judging is biased, but it does mean that clear evidence of impact is especially welcome. If you can show a return on public funding, you will stand out.

Newcastle development priorities and named bodies

Newcastle upon Tyne has its own development priorities, set out in the city council's local plan and economic strategy. These include city centre regeneration, the Helix innovation district, and improvements to transport and digital connectivity. The council works with partners such as Newcastle University, the North East LEP and Nexus, the transport authority.

For businesses in the city, these priorities can shape awards entries. If you are located in the Helix area or you work with the university on research, that is a point of difference. If you have contributed to city centre footfall or supported the night-time economy, that matters too.

The council often uses awards to highlight businesses that are helping to deliver its vision.

Named regional bodies that appear in awards contexts include the North East Chamber of Commerce, the Federation of Small Businesses, the Institute of Directors, and the Confederation of British Industry. These organisations run their own awards or sit on judging panels.

Being a member can give you access to entry support and networking, but it is not usually a requirement.

Other bodies to know are the North East Combined Authority, which now oversees much of the LEP's former work, and the Department for Business and Trade, which sets national policy on growth and exports.

The department's regional growth policy context is relevant if your entry touches on export or investment. You can read more about its role on the Department for Business and Trade page.

When you write about your connection to Newcastle, be specific. Name the project, the partner and the outcome. "We worked with Newcastle City Council on the Grainger Town retail programme and increased footfall by X per cent" is stronger than "we support the local economy".

Judges based in the region will know the projects you mention, and they will check.

Eligibility and evidence for North East entrants

Eligibility rules vary by award, but most North East Business Awards require you to have a trading address or a significant presence in the region. Some categories are open only to businesses below a certain turnover or headcount. Always read the small print.

If you are a national company with a small Newcastle office, you may not qualify for regional categories.

Evidence is where many entries fall down. You need to back up your claims with numbers. That could be turnover growth, job creation, export values or customer satisfaction scores.

If you are claiming an economic contribution, use official data where possible. For example, you can refer to Gross Value Added (GVA) - Office for National Statistics figures for North East England to show the wider context of your sector.

Here is a checklist to get your evidence ready:

• Latest two years of accounts or management figures
• Payroll data showing employee numbers and growth
• Customer or client testimonials with names and dates
• Evidence of any grant or public funding received
• Details of partnerships with named regional bodies
• Metrics for any environmental or community impact
• A clear statement of how you support regional priorities

Once you have the evidence, put the entry together in this order:

1. Download the current entry pack and note the word limit for each category.
2. Pull your last two years of accounts and your payroll figures.
3. Write one paragraph per judging criterion, with a number in each.
4. Ask a contact at a regional body to check your facts, not your score.
5. Submit before the deadline and keep a copy for next year.

Write in plain English. Avoid jargon. Use short paragraphs and bullet points where allowed. Judges read many entries, so make yours easy to score. If the form asks for a word count, stick to it. Going over does not impress.

It also helps to get a second pair of eyes. Ask someone who does not know your business to read the entry and tell you what is unclear. They will spot gaps that you have missed.

If you have a contact at a regional body, ask them for feedback on the draft, but do not ask them to judge it.

How regional bodies judge economic contribution

Judging panels for North East Business Awards typically include representatives from professional services firms, regional bodies and previous winners. Target audience research on who sits on the panel helps you pitch at the right level.

They score against criteria that usually cover financial performance, innovation, leadership and impact on the region. Economic contribution is often a separate criterion or a theme running through others.

What does economic contribution mean in practice? It can include job creation, wage levels above the regional average, supply chain spend with local firms, and tax contributions. It can also include less tangible things like mentoring other businesses or supporting community projects. Judges look for evidence, not assertions.

To score well, quantify where you can. If you have created jobs, say how many and at what salary. If you buy from local suppliers, give a percentage of total spend. If you have increased productivity, explain how you measured it. The more specific you are, the easier it is for judges to compare you with other entrants.

It also helps to understand the regional economic context. The North East has a lower GVA per head than the UK average, and business counts are lower than in some other regions.

You can find Regional accounts - Office for National Statistics and UK business: activity, size and location - Office for National Statistics data to support your narrative. Showing that you are bucking the trend or contributing to closing the gap is a strong angle.

Some awards now ask for a short video or a presentation. If so, rehearse. Keep it to the point. Use visuals to show your data.

And remember that judges may not be experts in your sector, so explain acronyms and technical terms. The goal is to make your economic contribution obvious to a generalist.

Finally, do not ignore the feedback you get after the awards. Whether you win or not, ask for judges' comments. They can help you improve next year's entry.

And if you do win, use the recognition in your marketing, but keep it accurate. The Advertising Standards Authority has rules on awards claims, so only say you won what you actually won.

A strategy and planning guide can help you turn one result into a repeatable entry programme.

Common questions

What are the main North East Business Awards categories? They usually include company of the year, small business, newcomer, export and innovation, with other sectors covered in some years. The exact list depends on the organiser, so check the current entry pack.

Do I need to be a member of a regional body to enter? No. Most awards are open to any eligible business in the region. Membership of bodies like the North East Chamber of Commerce can help with networking but is not a requirement.

How do regional growth deals affect awards judging? Judges often look for alignment with growth deal priorities such as job creation, skills and low-carbon investment. If your entry shows you are delivering against those priorities, you may score higher.

What evidence should I provide for economic contribution? Use hard numbers: jobs created, wage levels, local supply chain spend and any grant funding received. Official data from the Office for National Statistics can provide context.

Can I enter if I have received LEP funding? Yes, and it can strengthen your entry, but check your grant agreement for confidentiality clauses before publishing figures. Mention the funding and what you delivered with it.

How do I find out about Newcastle development priorities? Look at Newcastle City Council's local plan and economic strategy, and check the North East Combined Authority's website. These set out the projects and sectors the city is prioritising.