Handy Hints & Tips for Applicants
Don't miss the awards
10th November 2023
#YHNEFBA Friday 13th November 2026
This document is designed to help entrants understand what to include, how to structure their entry, and how to present their family business at its best.
Before You Start
- Ensure the business is family-owned and meets any minimum trading requirements stated for the category.
- Choose the category that best reflects your core activity or impact, not necessarily the largest part of turnover, but where your strengths are clearest.
- You may enter more than one category where appropriate, but each entry should be tailored and this will mean more than one judges visit
- Entry states you have been trading for at least 12 months
What Makes a Strong Entry
Strong entries are:
- Clear – easy to understand what you do and why it matters
- Specific – focused on real examples, not general statements
- Evidenced – supported by facts, figures, or outcomes
- Authentic – honest about challenges as well as successes
Avoid jargon, marketing language, or assumptions that judges already know your business.
What to Include in Your Entry
While each category has its own focus, all entries should aim to cover:
a) About the Business
- What the business does
- Who it serves
- How long it has been trading
- The family involvement (generation, roles, ownership)
b) Your Category Focus
Explain why you are entering this category and how your business aligns with it.
Examples:
- For sector awards: what distinguishes you within your industry
- For impact awards: what actions you’ve taken and why
- For people awards: what makes this individual stand out
c) Evidence of Impact or Performance
This may include:
- Growth, results, or improvements
- Customer, client, or employee feedback
- Projects delivered or initiatives launched
- Cultural, environmental, or social outcomes
Evidence can be quantitative or qualitative – ideally both.
Category-Specific Guidance (Examples)
You can include short prompts like these under each category online:
- Sector Awards:
Focus on quality, consistency, innovation, and performance within your sector. - Emerging Family Business:
Highlight early achievements, momentum, and future potential. - Environmental & Social Impact:
Focus on actions taken, outcomes achieved, and measurable change. - People & Leadership Awards:
Focus on contribution, behaviour, influence, and results, not job title alone.
Final Tips
- Answer the question asked, don’t try to cover everything
- Use your wording, whilst we embrace the use of AI, please humanise it for you and your family business
- Be proud, but be precise
- Ask someone outside the business to read your entry before submitting
#YHNEFBA Friday 13th November 2026
Contact Us
For general enquiries regarding the Yorkshire, Humberside and North East Awards, contact:
Sue Howorth on 07866 536050
01539 296017
