The King’s Awards for Enterprise were established in 1966 and since then over 8,000 companies have been awarded.
Winning a King’s Award is no mean feat, which is why we have committed the necessary time to understanding every single element of the competition so that we can identify the organisations that demonstrate a winner’s profile based on our vast experience of over 100 wins over the last few years.
Our team of experts will evaluate your business against the strict King’s Awards for Enterprise eligibility requirements to determine which category(s) you should apply for.
Not every company is eligible to enter the King’s Awards competition but we will ensure that you meet the minimum requirements before moving ahead.
It’s a long and detailed process, with more due diligence than any other award, so we ensure that you demonstrate a winners’ profile from the outset, before moving ahead with an entry.
The King’s Awards for Enterprise features 4 categories:
In 2025, 88% of King’s Award winners were SMEs, including 27 micro-businesses with ten or fewer employees. The awards are open to any UK-based business with at least two full-time employees.
The King’s Awards for Enterprise application is among the most rigorous of any UK business award. Applicants must provide a detailed narrative covering their business strategy, commercial growth, and wider contribution to society, supported by verified financial data, including audited accounts.
Once submitted, entries are assessed by independent Panels of Judges before being reviewed by the Prime Minister’s Advisory Committee. Winners are then awarded by The King. This level of scrutiny is what gives the award its authority, but it also means entries must be comprehensive and evidence-based.
The King’s Awards for Enterprise follow an annual cycle. Here are the key dates for the current and upcoming rounds:
81%
Win rate for the King's Awards
The King’s Awards for Enterprise recognise businesses making a significant impact across four unique categories. Browse each section below to determine which categories are best suited to your organisation.
Also known as the King’s Award for Export, this category is reserved for companies who have succeeded in growing their sales overseas, in one or more countries. In addition to including both products and services, the category requires that the organisation can demonstrate export sales of at least £100,000 in their first year of entry into an international market.
Entries must be made in one of the following sub-categories:
Can you demonstrate how your organisation is excelling in your marketplace overseas? Have you identified your new markets clearly and created a clear path to delivery of your products or services outside of the UK? And have you maintained and upheld the highest principles of social, economic and environmental activity whilst growing your market? If so, you could be a strong contender for the King’s Award for International Trade.
This category is ideal for businesses that have achieved year-on-year growth in sales, turnover, and profit, with international trade as a key driver of their success.
Get in touch with a member of the team to learn how we may support your entry to the King’s Award for Enterprise.
This category encourages innovation in organisations, specifically in relation to a product or service that is driving growth for the company as a whole. Entries must be made in one of the following sub-categories:
Potential winners must have had their innovative product or service on the market for at least 2 years and show how this is contributing to the overall success of the business. The innovation can be disruptive in that it has never been done or created before, or it can be continuous in that it changes, builds on and improves an existing product or business model.
For example, if you manufacture a product that is readily available in your industry, but you have enhanced its design, functionality, or production process in a way that has driven higher sales, profitability, and market demand, then you have a clear case for innovation. This could include using a new material, introducing automation, or creating a unique feature that sets your product apart.
However, if you offer the same service as your competitors, but you think you do it better and you are leading the market, can you think of an innovation that you have created that has specifically led to this success? For example, have you created a bespoke software platform that is now the backbone of your organisation, or a new method of service delivery that is unique to your team? Setting best practices is not a strong enough argument alone to win a King’s Award for Innovation – you must be able to prove and substantiate how your product or service is innovative.
Ultimately, to be considered ‘innovative’ you should think about how your product, service or approach is new and unique. If other organisations are doing the same as you, then demonstrate how your product or service is truly innovative and how it has directly driven your business’s commercial success.
Get in touch with a member of the team to learn how we may support your entry to the King’s Award for Enterprise.
To succeed in this category, the company should promote social mobility programmes that aim to benefit people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Organisations should consider how they can demonstrate that their programme increases commercial success over a minimum of 2 years, including professional reputation or savings in the business.
Crucially, this award is for companies who support social mobility as a discretionary activity, rather than for companies where social mobility initiatives and programmes are their core activity.
Winners must demonstrate that they have had a social mobility programme running for at least 2 years, showing clear improvement in one of the following areas:
You should be able to substantiate that the programme has improved your reputation or led to measurable business savings. By demonstrating a measurable impact on social mobility, your organisation could be recognised as a leader in creating meaningful opportunities through the King’s Award for Promoting Opportunity.
Get in touch with a member of the team to learn how we may support your entry to the King’s Award for Enterprise.
The Sustainable Development category is aimed at companies that develop products and services that have a major positive impact on the environment, society and the economy. Organisations are required to demonstrate that their financial growth has been maintained for 3 years, showing how sustainable actions or interventions can be both financially beneficial and provide a positive effect on wider society.
Winners will be able to demonstrate that with sustainability at the heart of their organisation, they have created a commercially successful business model that grows in turnover and profit, and has a strong, long-term strategy.
You might be able to demonstrate that the effective use of materials, your approach to social development, or your contribution to society has led to your business success, and in turn, demonstrates your commitment to sustainable practices. There are around 20 winners in this category each year, which is far fewer than for other categories, reflecting the relative number of entries.
Get in touch with a member of the team to learn how we may support your entry to the King’s Award for Enterprise.
Winning a King’s Award is one of the most effective ways of growing your business. Previous King’s Awards for Enterprise winners have reported many benefits following their success, including:
Demonstrating to potential customers, clients, partners and investors that you are better than your competitors by receiving such a significant award from the King can add real value to your business. Winners also receive the right to display the King’s Awards emblem across all marketing materials for the five-year period they hold the award.
Every King’s Awards entry we prepare is managed by a dedicated consultant who works with you from initial assessment through to submission. Our approach is built on over 100 successful King’s Award entries, and we handle the detail so that you can focus on running your business.
The awards open for entry in May. That may seem like a long time away; but trust us – it’s a time-consuming process to do well, so you must plan ahead and start the ball rolling as soon as possible if you are seriously interested in winning. We identify the organisations that are most likely to demonstrate a winner’s profile but we also take on a strictly limited number of clients each year for this award, so be prepared to be put through your paces!
The fee for our King’s Award for Enterprise drafting service is £6,900 + VAT (payable in two instalments) and with our help you will significantly increase your chances of success and save valuable time. Our current success stands at an 81% average win rate over the last 5 years.
From initial consultation to final submission, we manage five key stages to give your entry the strongest chance of success:
“To win the most prestigious business award for start ups – the Innovation category of King’s Award for Enterprise – it is not enough to have a break-out idea well executed. It also critical to be able to tell your story in a way that speaks to the judges and craft an entry that showcases your unique achievements. This is where Awards Intelligence are invaluable. They have been our expert guide, wise counsel and told our story in a way we could have never done alone. Winning a King’s Award is truly a team sport and I can thoroughly recommend Awards Intelligence should be a core part of your team.”
In 2025, Londonist DMC, a London-based student accommodation services provider, was officially recognised with The King’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade, the UK’s most prestigious business honour. Founded in 2013 with just 30 rooms, Londonist DMC has grown into a global brand managing over 2,000 rooms across 50 prime London locations, supporting over 150,000 students from more than 170 countries. That kind of growth deserves the highest recognition.
Winning a King’s Award requires not only exceptional results but also the ability to tell a compelling story. Despite their achievements, the Londonist team quickly recognised that transforming a decade of data, innovation and impact into a concise, award-winning submission required expert guidance. That’s when they turned to Awards Intelligence.
Every part of the application was built on evidence. Awards Intelligence guided the Londonist team through collecting and presenting key data. The result was a detailed, structured and authentic account of Londonist’s evolution from a small idea to a major international business. Here is what Asim Erturk, Founder and Managing Director, Londonist DMC had to say:
“It’s hard to describe that feeling. To see your company’s name alongside some of the most respected businesses in the country and to know it’s been personally approved by His Majesty, it’s overwhelming. It validates everything we’ve worked for.”
Register your interest to receive our eligibility questionnaires and begin the assessment process. Once we have reviewed your information, a member of our team will contact you to arrange a call, making specific recommendations and identifying the best approach for your entry.
We aim to keep our drafting fees as accessible as possible, reducing barriers to entry and encouraging as many deserving submissions as we can. We recognise that award entry fees and attendance at award ceremonies represent a significant investment for our clients
Using our services for award submissions carries an element of financial risk, because the outcome is determined by an independent judging panel; so while we will improve your chances significantly we cannot guarantee a win. For this reason, we offset our charges with a success fee of £1,000 + VAT, which is only payable when your submission is award-winning.
Our success fee helps cover post-award administration, liaison with award bodies, and ongoing client support and guidance following a win. It also allows us to remunerate your consultant with a bonus involved and invest in the systems, quality assurance, and internal review processes that underpin our clients’ successful submissions.
This approach ensures our interests are aligned with yours — we only share in the reward when you do.
Awards Intelligence are the leading independent business awards experts for the King’s Awards for Enterprise. We are delighted to have helped many organisations win this incredible award. Below you will find answers to commonly asked questions about the application process, eligibility requirements and more.
The King’s Award for Enterprise is the most prestigious business award a UK-based company can receive. Established in 1966, the award was originally known as The Queen’s Award to Industry, before later being renamed to The Queen’s Award For Enterprise in 1999. The awards recognise outstanding achievement across four categories: Innovation, International Trade, Sustainable Development, and Promoting Opportunity (through social mobility). Winners are announced annually on 6th May – the anniversary of the coronation of King Charles III. Winners receive a Grant of Appointment certificate, a crystal trophy, and the right to display the King’s Awards emblem on their marketing materials for five years.
For a closer look at the awards programme, including interviews with judges and profiles of recent winners, read the official King’s Awards for Enterprise Magazine. You will also find Awards Intelligence featured on the inside front cover.
At the very minimum your company:
Each category of the award has additional requirements. You will be thoroughly assessed so that we can make an honest recommendation to enable you to make an informed decision before proceeding.
The King’s Award for Enterprise is widely regarded as the most prestigious business award in the United Kingdom. It is the only business award granted by the reigning monarch, carrying a level of recognition that no other UK business award can match. The application and assessment process, overseen by the Prime Minister’s Advisory Committee, ensures that only businesses demonstrating genuine excellence are recognised. Awards Intelligence is the leading independent business awards consultancy for the King’s Awards for Enterprise, with an 81% win rate and over 100 successful entries in recent years. Our team of experts work closely with each client to present their achievements in the most compelling manner, giving them the strongest possible chance of success.
Picking the right category to enter is the first step of the King’s Awards process, and it can make all the difference in how far your entry gets in the competition.
There are four categories available to enter: Innovation, International Trade, Sustainable Development (each of these has 2 sub-categories to choose from – Outstanding Achievement and Continuous Achievement), and Promoting Opportunity. The Promoting Opportunity category must demonstrate successful results over at least 2 years.
You may also enter more than one category if your business achievements span a variety of areas. Our King’s Awards experts will help you understand the requirements of each category and make sure you are well-placed before you begin the entry process.
The entry process for the King’s Awards is rigorous and highly detailed, requiring a high level of information that needs to be substantiated with solid evidence including financial due diligence.
Each King’s Awards for Enterprise category requires a different approach, but in general you will need to provide a compelling and detailed narrative of your business’s strategy for growth, corporate social responsibility, and trading and employee relationships. You must also be able to demonstrate how these achievements have developed and improved over a set period of time.
In summary, you must win over the judges by demonstrating how your business stands out above others in your sector, region or trading environment.
There are no specific numbers of awards allocated – the judges can award as many businesses they feel meet the requirements and benchmarks in that year’s competition. However in general the number of awards given out on average over the last few years are as follows:
In the most recent round of awards (2025), 197 businesses were recognised across the four categories:
In 2025, two businesses received awards in multiple categories – Delta Fire for Innovation and Sustainable Development, and Sonardyne International for International Trade and Sustainable Development. This brought the total number of awards issued to 199.
We are delighted to be able to introduce you to some of our winners who are happy to tell you about the support we gave them in their King’s Award application:
We ensure our clients take the full credit they deserve for their award win, so we don’t talk about them unless they have given us their express permission, and we treat your application with the same level of confidentiality.
The awards open for entry in May each year and close in early September. Shortlisted companies are notified in November, at which time they will be asked to provide evidence of their audited accounts. Winners are notified (under embargo) in March. Winners are announced publicly in May.
Don’t leave it too late to get started – you may be surprised how much information is required! Each nomination takes us an average of 75 hours to compile, so we work closely and early with our business clients to ensure their submission is as impactful as the process is rigorous.
Get in touch for a chat with a member of the team about how we may support your entry to the King’s Award for Enterprise.