DO you know an outstanding entrepreneur in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight – or are you one yourself?

The Entrepreneur Award is one of the trophies to be handed out at the South Coast Business Awards.

The awards, organised by LOCALiQ, the digital marketing arm of Daily Echo publisher Newsquest, celebrate business across a host of sectors.

They aim to honour innovative businesses, 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.

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

The nominations will be considered by our judging panel and maybe subject to a “mystery shopper” visit by the category sponsor.

Our Entrepreneur award will be presented to an exceptional individual who has identified a market opportunity and built an outstanding business around it.

If you know someone like this, you can nominate them. The judges are looking for Innovation with a clear vision of where they want to take their business in the future.

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.

The winners will be announced at a celebration on Thursday, November 3, at Southampton FC’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 Award will be awarded to the overall winner that will be chosen by the judging panel from all the category winners.

The other award categories are:

  • Innovation Excellence Award
  • Service Excellence Award
  • Employer 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.

You can enter online here .

The closing date for nominations is September 8.