EVAS2026 Award Categories

Best Business

The Best Business Award celebrates businesses that aren’t just performing, they’re progressing, innovating and setting the pace in their sector. It recognises companies of all sizes that demonstrate excellence across the board and are led with purpose, clarity and ambition.

Judges will be looking for:

• Strong Foundations: A compelling purpose, strong identity and clear positioning in the market.
• Achievement & Progress: Key milestones, growth indicators, resilience and standout wins.
• Innovation & Adaptability: New ideas, improvements or strategies that move the business forward.
• Impact & Value: How the business creates meaningful results; financially, socially or within its community.
• Future Focus: A clear vision, ambition and roadmap for continued development.

Brand of the Year

New for 2026! The Brand of the Year Award celebrates women creating brands that people trust, champion and remember. It recognises the power of identity, storytelling, cohesion and connection, and the brands using these to create influence and loyalty.

Judges will be looking for:

• • Brand Identity & Cohesion: A purpose-led brand with a strong, recognisable voice, expressed consistently across visual identity, messaging and customer experience.
  • Audience Connection: Loyal customers, an active community or strong brand advocacy built through authentic, aligned communication.
  • Social Presence: Meaningful, consistent online engagement that clearly reflects the brand’s values, tone and positioning.
  • Innovation: Creative approaches to marketing, experience or product development that enhance and strengthen the overall brand story.
  • Growth & Visibility: Clear evidence of increased recognition, reach or impact, driven by a cohesive and well-executed brand strategy.

Business Woman

This award honours a woman who is leading from the front, delivering results, shifting perceptions and raising the bar for others. She’s courageous, strategic and unapologetically ambitious. The Business Woman of the Year Award is one of the most prestigious EVAS titles for good reason.

Judges will be looking for:

• Leadership in Action: How she leads, influences and inspires people around her.
• Business Achievements: Significant milestones, growth and strategic decisions.
• Resilience & Drive:  Challenges overcome and lessons applied with purpose.
• Financial & Strategic Impact: Evidence of growth; turnover, expansion or strategic influence.
• Role Model Status: How she champions others and shapes the landscape for women in business.

Creative Industry

The Creative Industry Award is for the visionaries; the designers, makers, storytellers and innovators bringing ideas to life. Creativity isn’t just what you do; it’s how you think, express, influence and change things.

Judges will be looking for:

• Creative Identity: A unique style, voice or signature approach.
• Impact & Influence: How your work resonates with audiences, clients or your sector.
• Innovation: Creative risks, new ideas or fresh approaches.
• Results & Recognition: Growth, demand, reach or standout projects.
• Creative Ambition: A vision for where your work is heading next.

Customer Service

The Customer Service Award recognises the businesses where exceptional service isn’t a slogan. It’s a culture. These businesses put people at the centre, build trust through action and consistently exceed expectations. 

Judges will be looking for:

• Customer Insight: Understanding your customers’ needs and expectations.
• Service Excellence: Clear examples of going above and beyond.
• Consistency: Systems, processes or values that ensure reliable service.
• Impact: Customer loyalty, retention or advocacy.
• Forward Thinking: Plans to improve and elevate the customer experience.

Diverse Business

The Diverse Business Award recognises women who are breaking gender stereotypes in traditionally male-dominated industries, and businesses that actively embrace inclusion, not as a buzzword, but as a core value. It’s about representation, fairness, equity and the tangible positive impact that diversity brings to an organisation.

Judges will be looking for:

• Inclusive Leadership: How diversity and inclusion are built into your decisions and culture.
• Action Over Optic:  Practical steps taken to widen representation and access.
• Impact: Evidence of measurable improvements in performance, culture or reach.
• Advocacy: How you challenge norms, open doors and shift perceptions.
• Future Commitment: Plans to strengthen inclusion and drive long-term change.

Driven Leader

This award celebrates women who are driving their business and their teams forward; leaders who inspire ambition, collaboration and innovation to go the distance.

The Driven Leader Award is open to founders, directors, partners and senior leaders across all sectors, this award recognises women who know that their greatest horsepower comes from their team. Whether they lead a small crew or a large organisation, these women create a culture where people feel valued, empowered and motivated to perform at their best.

Judges will be looking for:

• Leadership in Action: how you inspire, support and accelerate your team’s performance and potential.

• Culture & Collaboration: how you’ve built a workplace where people thrive; with trust, inclusivity and purpose at its core.

• Innovation & Impact: examples of how your leadership has driven creativity, adaptability or growth.

• Resilience & Drive: how you’ve navigated challenges, maintained momentum and kept your team focused on shared goals.

• Future Vision: how you plan to continue developing your people and pushing boundaries.

Family Business

Family businesses are built on trust, legacy and loyalty, and the Family Business Award recognises a woman at the heart of that success. She’s balancing tradition with innovation, navigating dynamics with skill and driving the business forward with purpose. 

Judges will be looking for:

• Family Story: The roots, values and purpose behind the business.
• Contribution:  Your role and influence within the business’s success.
• Resilience: Challenges overcome within the unique family-business landscape.
• Progress: Growth, improvements or changes achieved under your leadership.
• Future Vision: Succession planning, sustainability and long-term impact.

Health & Beauty

The Health & Beauty Award celebrates the women transforming how we look, feel and live, from salons and skincare to wellness services, treatments and transformative products. It recognises the creators and practitioners who help people feel confident, cared for and at their best, inside and out.

Judges will be looking for:

• Purpose & Passion: The motivation behind your work and the impact you aim to create for your clients or customers.
• Client Transformation: Evidence of real results, whether that’s improved wellbeing, confidence, health outcomes or visible changes.
• Excellence in Practice: High standards in service, quality, safety, innovation or product development.
• Progress & Achievement: Milestones, growth, new techniques, expanded offerings or standout success stories.
• Future Vision: Plans to evolve, expand or deepen your impact within the health and beauty sector.

Hospitality Industry

The Hospitality Industry Award celebrates women leading exceptional businesses across the full food, drink and hospitality landscape; from producers and manufacturers to venues, cafés, restaurants, caterers, leisure providers and tourism operators. Whether you create the products people love or the places they love to visit, this category recognises excellence in quality, service, creativity and customer experience.

Judges will be looking for:

• Quality & Craft: High standards in the products you make or the experiences you deliver.
• Customer Experience: How you create enjoyment, satisfaction and loyalty, whether through flavour, service, atmosphere or interaction.
• Innovation: New ideas, methods, products or improvements that set you apart.
• Achievement: Milestones, growth, awards or standout success in a competitive sector.
• Future Ambition: Your plans for expansion, sustainability, new products or enhanced experiences.

Inspirational Woman

The Inspirational Woman of the Year Award is given to an individual who inspires others. We can be inspired by many things, from challenges that have been overcome to acts of kindness and selflessness. Words, innovation, action, determination, creativity, positivity, all inspire us in many ways. This award is given to a woman whose courage, leadership or lived experience encourages others to aim higher and act boldly.

The Judges will be looking for:

• Impactful Story: Moments, actions or achievements that inspire.
• Leadership: Influence within business, community, activism or social change.
• Resilience: Challenges faced and strength shown in overcoming them.
• Empowerment: How she uplifts, mentors or opens doors for others.
• Legacy: Her lasting impact on people, community or industry.

Manufacturer

New for 2026! The Manufacturer of the Year Award celebrates the women who quite literally make things happen. From small-batch creators to large-scale production powerhouses. It recognises the ingenuity, precision and grit behind turning raw ideas into real-world products. Manufacturing demands resilience, efficiency, creativity and constant improvement. This award honours the makers and producers who are shaping industries, fuelling supply chains and driving economic growth.

The Judges will be looking for:

• Craft & Quality: High standards in production, consistency, safety, sustainability or craftsmanship.
• Innovation in Making: New ideas, improved processes, technology, design or more efficient ways of producing.
• Operational Excellence:  How you manage supply chains, production challenges, regulations or scaling while maintaining quality.
• Impact & Achievement: Growth, expanded distribution, customer demand, partnerships, awards or key milestones.
• Future Development: Plans to evolve production, expand ranges, increase capacity or reduce environmental impact.

New Business

The New Business Award celebrates fresh ideas, brave beginnings and businesses gaining impressive traction early on. This is for those who have hit the ground running and built strong foundations within their first three years.

Judges will be looking for:

• Origin Story: The spark behind the business and the problem you’re solving.
• Early Wins: Traction, demand or standout achievements.
• Resilience: Start-up challenges tackled head-on.
• Momentum: Growth indicators; audience, impact, innovation or progress.
• Ambition: A clear vision for where you’re heading next.

Not For Profit

The Not For Profit Award is open to charities, CICs, not-for-profit businesses, social enterprises, voluntary organisations and individual fundraisers. This award celebrates organisations driven by purpose, community and mission. It recognises those delivering meaningful change, building resilience and creating sustainable impact for the people they serve.

Judges will be looking for:

• Mission & Purpose: The cause you champion and why it matters.
• Impact: Real outcomes and measurable difference.
• Resilience: Challenges overcome in service delivery or funding.
• Engagement: Community support, visibility and trust.
• Sustainability: Future plans and long-term stability.

Outstanding Achievement

You cannot enter this category. The Outstanding Achievement Award is sponsored by the Headline Sponsor. No interviews will be held for this award. The woman receiving this award will have a proven track record of outstanding achievements, which stand as an inspiring role model to other women. Women entering any of the categories available will also be viewed as potential Outstanding Award nominees.

Professional Services

The Professional Services Award celebrates women delivering outstanding expertise, leadership and impact within the professional services sector, whether they are founders, partners, directors or women leading teams within larger organisations. From finance and law to HR, consulting, property, healthcare, tech, events, architecture and beyond, this category recognises women whose knowledge, integrity and influence raise standards and move industries forward.

Judges will be looking for:

• Professional Excellence: A high level of expertise, credibility and performance in your field, demonstrated through results, recognition or innovation.
• Leadership & Influence: How you lead, whether as a founder, senior executive or team head, and the impact you have on people, clients or organisational direction.
• Client Impact: Clear examples of how your work delivers value, solves problems or drives meaningful outcomes for clients or stakeholders.
• Resilience & Progress: Challenges you’ve overcome and how you’ve grown, adapted or pushed boundaries within your profession.
• Future Vision: Your ambition for your professional journey, your team, your firm or your wider industry.

Retail

The Retail Business Award celebrates the innovators reinventing how, where and why customers shop. Whether online, in-store or omnichannel, this category recognises retail businesses run by women who understand their customers and deliver exceptional experiences.

Judges will be looking for:

• Retail Identity: Your concept and what makes it unique.
• Customer Experience: How you engage, retain and delight your shoppers.
• Innovation: Trends, technologies or strategies you’re embracing.
• Achievement: Growth, demand or standout success.
• Future Vision: Plans for expansion, differentiation or evolution.

Scale Up

The Scale Up Award recognises women driving serious growth. Not by accident, but with strategy, ambition and stamina. It celebrates businesses that have built strong foundations and are now accelerating rapidly. 

Judges will be looking for:

• Growth Strategy: A clear roadmap powering your acceleration.
• Turnover Growth: Evidence of 20%+ growth over the last 12 months.
• Operational Excellence: Systems, people and processes supporting scale.
• Resilience: Challenges navigated during fast growth.

Economic Impact: Contribution to jobs, opportunities or industry growth.

Sustainable Business

The Sustainable Business Award celebrates businesses that don’t just talk about sustainability, they build it into the way they operate, grow and create impact. Sustainability isn’t a slogan here; it’s a long-term commitment across environmental, social and economic pillars. Whether you champion social value, reduce environmental impact or embed ethical and responsible practices while still delivering commercial success, this category recognises organisations that understand sustainability as a holistic, measurable and strategic part of business.

We’re not looking exclusively for “green” products or eco-led brands. This award is open to any business that can show meaningful progress and positive change in how they work; from carbon reduction and circularity, to employee wellbeing, community contribution, ethical sourcing, accessibility, or economic resilience.

Judges will be looking for:

• Holistic Sustainability: How your business addresses environmental, social and economic priorities in a balanced, intentional way.

• Real, Measurable Impact: Evidence of improvements, results or outcomes over the last 12 months — backed by data, results or tangible examples.

• Innovation & Improvement: Creative or forward-thinking changes to processes, products, policies or culture that strengthen long-term sustainability.

• Responsible Growth: How you deliver value and commercial success while staying committed to ethical, sustainable practices.

• Future Commitment: Clear plans, goals or ongoing programmes that show sustainability is embedded, evolving and here to stay.

Training & Coaching

The Training and Coaching Award is for the women who elevate others. Developing skills, confidence and capability through powerful training or coaching. It celebrates those whose work transforms individuals, teams or communities.

Judges will be looking for:

• Purpose: Why you do this work and who you serve.
• Transformation: Real results or change achieved through your programmes.
• Achievement: Milestones or standout successes.
• Credibility: Reputation, trust and community impact.
• Future Growth: Plans to expand or deepen your offer.

Young Entrepreneur

The Young Entrepreneur Award recognises fearless young founders aged 30 and under who are creating big impact early on. It celebrates ambition, creativity, problem-solving and the courage to build a business at a young age.

Judges will be looking for:

• Entrepreneurial Spark: Your idea, vision or motivation.
• Early Impact: Traction, success or momentum so far.
• Resilience: Challenges tackled at an early stage.
• Innovation: Creative approaches or bold decisions.
• Ambition: A clear sense of where you’re heading next