Entrepreneurs have been given extra time to put in an application to gain valuable recognition for their new businesses.

Due to the fantastic response so far, the deadline for entries to the Startups Awards 2005 has been extended to 1 August.

Sponsored by Startups.co.uk and NatWest and endorsed by the Department of Trade & Industry (DTI), the awards offer entrepreneurs 13 categories in which to have their successful business plan recognised and win a cash prize of up to £5,000.

But the monetary awards extend far beyond the dotted line on the winner’s giant cheque. Past winners have reaped the benefits of increased turnover as a result of their exposure at winning a Startups Award.

Tai Broadhurst, the mother of four behind children’s activity kit supplier The Little Experience, more than doubled her annual turnover after winning “Micro Business of the Year” at last year’s inaugural awards.

“I would definitely encourage other startup businesses to enter this year’s awards,” said Broadhurst. “It was a real boost to our morale when we won, especially as our first year of trading was largely spent on research, design, development and health and safety issues.

“In fact, we’d only just started selling at the time of entering. The organisers made it easy with simple forms and entry criteria, while answering the questions and putting together supporting material made us think about our business strategy, what we’d achieved so far and the future.”

Categories this year include Retailer of the Year, Manufacturing Business of the Year, Best Use of Technology, and there are awards for Women in Business and a Silver Fox category for the more mature entrepreneur.

Winners from each category will go on to compete for the Startups Awards 2005 Business of the Year and collect the top prize of £5,000. Awards will be handed out at a prestigious ceremony at the Royal Garden Hotel in London on 21 October 2005.

The awards are open to firms that have been trading for less than three years and employ under 60 people.
The judging panel for the awards will include Sahar Haschemi, co-founder of Coffee Republic, Forum of Private Business chief Nick Goulding and David Lester, founder of Crimson Business, publishers of Startups.co.uk.

The judges will be looking at a wide range of criteria, including sales, customer focus, strategic planning, barriers to success and social and community responsibility.

For more information, and to enter, the Startups Awards 2005 go to www.startupsawards.co.uk or call 020 8334 1638.