This month marks the official call for successful small businesses to apply for the 2006 Queen's Awards for Enterprise.
The Awards are open to any UK-based organisation from any sector of enterprise, which consists of two or more people and has excelled in either of the Awards' three categories of International Trade, Innovation or Sustainable Development.
Organisers are also seeking nominations for a new Award, launched in 2004, the Queen's Award for Enterprise Promotion. This Royal Award aims to honour those who encourage enterprise skills and attitudes in others.
Entrepreneurs who have been inspired or supported by certain individuals are encouraged to nominate their mentors for recognition. Ten Standard Awards and one Lifetime Achievement Award will be given in this category.
This year's winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award, Kenneth O'Neill, professor of entrepreneurship and small business development at the University of Ulster, said, "The more I work with entrepreneurs, the more I became more fascinated by them. I have always been enthralled by their energy, their enthusiasm, their perseverance, single-mindedness, ingenuity and willingness to expose themselves to financial risk.
"The challenge is to provide the right encouragement, resources and training to ensure that none of that enterprising spirit is wasted."
Queen's Award winners, organisers say, will gain greater notoriety through national and international recognition, and they will breed better staff morale. Winners are also entitled to place the Queen's Award Emblem on their marketing material for up to five years.
There are no set limits on how many winners will be announced.
"I am sure there are a number of outstanding small companies who stand a good chance of winning a Queen's Award next year and I urge them to apply," said Stephen Brice, secretary of the Queen's Awards Office.
"Unlike other award schemes, there is no set number of Queen's Awards made each year, and it costs nothing to enter. Even the process of applying for and Award is good for business, as it allows companies to benchmark their achievements against others within and outside their industry."
They deadline for applications is 31 October. For more information, please visit www.queensawards.org.uk.
