The Startups Awards celebrate the success of those who make it!

400,000 new businesses start up each year in the UK. Yet as many as one fifth of these cease trading within their first 12 months.* It is vital to recognise the successful new companies who continue to grow despite these astonishing failure rates. The Startups Awards, endorsed by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) does just this.

The awards, identifying the success stories set to become the household names of the future, are now accepting entries from new, ambitious businesses that think they have got what it takes to be the best!

Previous winners have included GlassesDirect, eCourier, GoinGreen, BeatThatQuote.com, RTL Games and 82ASK.

“When starting a new business it can be lonely and extremely difficult to gain the recognition that you deserve and need in order to gain client and customer loyalty. We’re delighted the Startups Awards is seeking to identify and recognise its fourth generation of inspirational new business and we are confident the judging will be as competitive as ever”

Matt Thomas, editor, Startups.co.uk

The judging panel consists of some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs and business experts including Martin Webb, presenter of Channel 4’s Risking it All; Tim Campbell, winner of The Apprentice 2005 and Michael Smith, co founder of Firebox and MD of MindCandy, to name just a few.

The awards, organised by Startups.co.uk contain fifteen categories. These include Innovative Business of the Year; Retailer of the Year; Young Entrepreneur of the Year; Women in Business Award, and a new category for 2007: Green Business of the Year. Winners of each category will then compete to be named the NatWest Business Startup of the Year and collect a grand price of £5,000.

To be eligible to enter, the business must have been trading for less than three years, be privately owned, and employ fewer than 60 people. The closing date for entries is 13 July 2007 and finalists will be announced on 24 August 2007. For details and a full list of categories visit www.startupsawards.co.uk 

* Figures obtained from research carried out by Bibby Financial Services, 2004.