The Isle of Wight Chamber of Commerce is delighted to announce the categories for the IW Chamber Business Awards 2026.
Entering the IW Chamber Business Awards is a fantastic opportunity to reflect on your success over the past year. It’s your chance to review your progress, celebrate your accomplishments, share your story, and potentially be recognised as outstanding in your industry.
Applications open on 1st December 2025 and close on 30 January 2026, but we’re excited to reveal the categories to give businesses time to consider which awards best suit their achievements.
Once applications close, entries will be reviewed by our independent panel of judges, who will be announced in the March 2026.
All application forms are available to download here
But for now, the most important part – the categories!
Start-Up Business of the Year Award – sponsored by PC Consultants
This award recognises exceptional success and growth for a start-up business. To qualify for this category the business must have been established during the last three years. Judges will be looking at how start-up was achieved, the strength of the business and how it has performed so far, as well as the potential for growth in the future. For this award you will need to demonstrate how your business has delivered outstanding results in a short time.
Young Entrepreneurship Award
This award recognises outstanding young entrepreneurs (aged 14–30) on the Isle of Wight who have demonstrated entrepreneurial flair, innovation, initiative, and sustained growth. Judges will reward ambition, creativity, resilience, and real business impact. Entries should focus primarily on activity during the calendar year of 2025.
Entrepreneurship Award – sponsored by Red Funnel
This award recognises exceptional success for a business, underpinned by an entrepreneurial spirit and drive. Judges will be rewarding outstanding growth, backed up by inspiration and vision, hard work, action and innovation. Show the judges how your entrepreneurial thinking and actions have enabled your business to make huge strides, excelling against the general trends for your sector. The activity for this entry should major on the calendar year of 2025, although it can also refer to activity from 2023 and 2024, to demonstrate how your entrepreneurial drive has steered your business.
Customer Service Award – sponsored by RPL Construction
This award recognises exceptional levels of service and customer care. Judges will be looking at evidence of how the business goes above and beyond customer expectations, with strong customer care ethos and targets. The judges will also be looking for investment in training and how high standards of customer care have contributed to business growth. You will need to demonstrate how customer care is at the heart of your organisation and how this ethos has contributed to the overall success of your business.
Community Award – sponsored by Moore (South)
This award recognises the success of charities, community groups, volunteer organisations and community interest groups. It is firmly aimed at “third sector” organisations. Commercial businesses that have gone above and beyond to help the wider community should consider applying for the Business Social Impact Award category.
This category is designed to showcase exceptional success by a community organisation. That success will be assessed in terms of traditional outcomes (people helped, funds raised) as well as recognising exceptional growth, sustainability and raising wider awareness. The judges will be looking for wide-reaching projects and campaign activity.
Employer of the Year Award – sponsored by Glanvilles Damant Legal Services
This award recognises businesses that are exceptional places to work, where employees thrive and are rewarded for their success. We’re looking for examples of organisations who nurture and support their employees, with positive practices that promote good mental health and staff well-being.
The judges are looking for evidence of how a business “gives back” to staff in terms wider than just salary. Judges will look for evidence of positive rewards to recognise success, as well as providing a healthy workplace environment that promotes positive physical and mental health.
You should demonstrate exceptional investment in staff and their career progression, including training and providing opportunities for personal growth. You should also show how your organisation actively listens to and reflects the views of staff, evolving to respond to changing needs and circumstances.
The judges will be looking for evidence that this positive approach has been good for the business holistically as well as raising levels of performance.
Training and Development Award
This award recognises commitment from a business to developing their staff with training. This award is open to all businesses of any size. Judges will be rewarding businesses that are investing in their teams – perhaps by taking on apprentices or by upskilling existing staff with higher level apprenticeships or further education.
The judges will be looking for evidence of how your business is making staff investment a key element of your growth strategy. They are also looking for examples of individual growth as well as how developing your team has enabled your business to grow. Although your entry should major on achievements in 2025, your entry may well refer to a longer running strategy for your business, particularly when reflecting on training programmes and qualifications that take several years to achieve.
Environment and Sustainability Award – sponsored by IFPL
This award recognises a business that is committed to making a positive contribution to the environment and to operating sustainably. We’re looking for businesses that are conscious of the way they operate and are changing the way that they work to act on climate change. The judges will be looking for evidence of campaigns or investment with outcomes that could include reducing waste, lowering carbon footprint, new approaches to travel or commuting, changing the way customers or staff engage with the business, or investing in support for the natural environment. The impact made by your business will be judged in relation to the size of your business.
Technology & Innovation Award – sponsored by Lifeline Alarms
This award recognises businesses that are constantly moving forward – leading by example and using technology to make their business more successful. This might be an innovative new product that sets you apart from others in your sector; it might be an innovative approach to the way that your business operates, meaning that your business is growing by employing new technology and new methods. Judges will be looking for modern businesses that are looking to the future.
Tourism & Leisure Business of the Year Award – sponsored by Visit Isle of Wight
This award recognises the strong performance of a business in the tourism sectors. This award will recognise a visitor attraction, entertainment venue, spa, fitness/wellness provider, leisure space or Island event that has enjoyed an exceptional year. This category is designed to showcase businesses who operate as a specific destination, attraction or event, providing entertainment or a leisure service. Hospitality or accommodation providers should look to enter the Hospitality Award.
Judges will be looking for distinctive high-quality products that enhance the Island’s offer to visitors as well as residents.
Hospitality Business of the Year Award – sponsored by Cherry Godfrey
This award recognises the strong performance of a business in the hospitality sector. This award will recognise an accommodation provider or a restaurant, pub, café or other dining venue that has enjoyed an exceptional year. Judges will be looking for distinctive high quality customer experiences that enhance the Island’s offering. They will also be looking for exceptional business performance within this sector.
Manufacturing and Export Business of the Year Award – sponsored by GKN Aerospace
This award recognises an Island based business that excels in the global marketplace. Judges will be looking for evidence of exceptional performance, with strong data and innovative products. Show the judges how your product(s) – which could be anything from food and drink to high tech or shipbuilding – have a reach outside the UK and help to put the Island on the global map.
Creative Impact Award
This award recognises our Island’s flourishing creative sector and the impact that quality and imaginative content can deliver to business and the wider community.
This award category is aimed at businesses that can show how innovative and outstanding creativity produces remarkable results on the Island and wider afield. This may be creative problem-solving, product or service innovation, creative leadership, digital transformation, or new creative partnerships
The creative content can be in any form – delivered through social media, the web, film, gaming, broadcast, performance, theatre, musical productions, publications, advertising, fashion, art, PR campaigns and design.
You might be a creative agency bursting with ideas, where you can clearly demonstrate the impact, your work has had on the reach and bottom line of your client(s). Alternatively, you might be a business or organisation that is using creative content to reach the wider community – spotlighting diversity, offering creative experiences to new audiences, supporting new voices, and nurturing the Island’s artistic community.
There’s a strong emphasis here on the impact of the creative work. Judging will be based on evidence of how the creative work has reached a wider audience and impacted on customers and the community .i.e. job creation, audience reach, new markets, export growth, innovation, environmental or social impact. In addition, you may want to reference how your entry has increased profits, awareness, stakeholder engagement, participation or donations.
Business Social Impact Award
This category recognises the contribution that a business has made to the wider community. We’re looking for businesses that are choosing to make a positive contribution and to help others, outside of their typical commercial operations. This could be by supporting charities, community projects, working with volunteers or leading awareness campaigns.
This award is aimed at businesses of any size and sector – the impact made by your business will be judged in relation to the size of your business. This award recognises a commercial business that is doing things that are non-commercial and designed to “give back”. If you’re a charity, not-for-profit organisation, volunteer group or community interest group (or similar) then please consider applying for the Community Award category instead.
Growth Business of the Year Award – sponsored by WRS
This award recognises exceptional growth from an Island business. Judges will be looking for significant and sustained expansion in a business of any size.
Demonstrate how your business is surging ahead – against your sector and your own previous levels of growth. The judges will be looking for evidence of increased profit, market share, numbers of staff, business investment and wider impact.
Your entry will be judged relative to the size of your business and should include clear year-on-year comparisons. You should also demonstrate why your growth has been remarkable for a business of your size and sector.
Micro Business of the Year Award – sponsored by Gurit UK
This award recognises an outstanding micro business in any sector, employing up to 3 staff.
Judges will be looking for evidence of outstanding performance, enterprise and sustainable growth for your business. You should also show why your business is exceptional – compared to other similarly sized businesses and other organisations in your sector. Judges will also be looking at future strategy and potential for further growth.
Small Business of the Year Award – sponsored by Wightlink
This award recognises outstanding small businesses in any sector, employing 4 to 10 staff.
Judges will be looking for evidence of outstanding performance, enterprise and sustainable growth for your business. You should also show why your business is exceptional – compared to other similarly sized businesses and other organisations in your sector. Judges will also be looking at future strategy and potential for further growth.
