Guernsey businesses are being encouraged to put themselves forward for a prestigious award with royal recognition.
The King’s Awards for Enterprise, formerly the Queen’s Awards, has been established for 59 years and to date no Guernsey business has been a recipient.
Now the Lieutenant Governor, His Excellency Richard Cripwell (pictured), the Guernsey Chamber of Commerce and the Committee for Economic Development are prompting local businesses to enter the 2025 awards.
Any recipients of the awards will be invited to a royal reception at Buckingham Palace, receive their award from the Lieutenant Governor, will be able to fly the King’s Awards flag at their premises for five years and use the emblem on their marketing and receive a Grant of Appointment and a commemorative trophy.
Previous award-recipients have been wide-ranging with anywhere between two and several thousand employees.
There is a robust entry process with four categories for applicants: Innovation, International Trade, Promoting Opportunity (through social mobility) and Sustainable Development.
An initial call for expressions of interest has drawn a strong response from the Chamber of Commerce membership and support will be offered to those who decide to embark on the application process.
Diane de Garis, the President of Chamber, said: “In celebrating the achievements of our local businesses and encouraging them to apply for the King’s Award for Enterprise, we put a spotlight Guernsey’s innovative spirit and entrepreneurial excellence. These awards offer a unique opportunity to recognise and elevate the profile of our businesses on a national stage, showcasing the outstanding contributions they make to our economy and community.”
His Excellency Richard Cripwell said: “The King’s Award for Enterprise is recognised and respected around the world as a hallmark of innovation and excellence. Having visited a range of small and medium enterprises in the last year, I have seen for myself that those traits are alive and well here in Guernsey and I’m delighted that local companies are being encouraged to put themselves forward. I’d particularly like to thank Deputy Steve Falla and the Economic Development Committee, Alice Gill of the Guernsey Chamber of Commerce and Nicky Bruno of the King’s Award for their help in promoting the Award and supporting businesses in this way.”
Deputy Steve Falla, Vice-President of the Committee for Economic Development said: “My own time in business and advising other businesses demonstrated to me the value of stepping back from day-to-day activity and taking an objective look at any enterprise to compile an awards submission. I am in no doubt that there are prospective winners of this awards scheme in Guernsey and there will also be those who are not successful on this occasion but who will benefit greatly from going through the application process. I wholeheartedly encourage local businesses to seriously consider participating in this great opportunity.”
Any business interested in submitting an application is invited to contact the Chamber for further information.
The closing date for entries is 12 September and winners will be announced on 6 May 2025.
