IT’S time to honour the best businesses in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

The South Coast Business Awards, organised by Daily Echo publisher LOCALiQ, are set to celebrate excellence across the myriad of sectors which make up our economy.

And the awards will be presented in person for the first time since before the pandemic.

The awards bring together the best of businesses in the Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, recognising and showcasing their achievements.

There are innovative industries, both big and small, operating in fields from food to fashion, tourism to technology, employing thousands of people, exporting around the world or helping to attract visitors to our county and we aim to celebrate their achievements with these prestigious awards.

The sponsors Starling Bank, Hampshire Chamber Of Commerce, Utilita, the University Of Southampton and GetSet Solent invite any company whose head office is based in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to enter or to be nominated.

Once received, the nominations will be considered by our judging panel and may be subject to a “mystery shopper” visit by the category sponsor.

The judges will be looking to announce the three finalists in each category on Thursday, September 29, in the Daily Echo and on dailyecho.co.uk and then a celebratory awards event will conclude the awards on Thursday, November 3 at Southampton Football Club’s St Mary’s Stadium.

The winners of each category will receive £250 of advertising in the Daily Echo or on dailyecho.co.uk and will also be featured in the category winners’ coverage in the Daily Echo and on dailyecho.co.uk

The Business of the Year will be chosen by the judging panel from all the category winners.

Laura Bielinski, sales director at Daily Echo publisher LOCALiQ, said: “Businesses in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight have been through some tough times in the past couple of years, thanks to the challenges of Covid, rising costs and competition for talent. But there is a lot to be upbeat about.

“The Solent Freeport project is set to create thousands of jobs and attract billions of pounds in investment in the coming years, while the Solent 2050 strategy aims to put the region at the centre of a coastal renaissance. And Southampton’s hard-fought campaign to become UK City of Culture has left a positive legacy across the region.

“This is a great time to be celebrating the efforts of the businesses who make Hampshire and the Isle of Wight such great places to live, work or visit. The judges of the South Coast Business Awards are looking forward to being impressed by the adaptability and staying power of the entrants.

"And it will be great to have the trophies handed out in person, at a gala dinner, for the first time since 2019."

You can enter online here.

The closing date for nominations is September 8, 2022.

The categories are:

Innovation Excellence Award

Service Excellence Award

Employer Award

Entrepreneur Award

Business Leader Award

Small Business Award

New Business (opened in the past two years) Award

Mid-Large Business Award

Business and the Community Award

Use Of Technology Award