Setting sights on silver – jubilee celebration rung up for Hull and East Yorkshire Business Awards as entries open

A quarter of a century celebrating business success in Hull and East Yorkshire is clocked up this year, with entries now open for the sought-after silverware.

The region’s calendar highlight returns after a sensational first year as the Hull and East Yorkshire Business Awards, under the stewardship of Top 30 Under 30 entrepreneur Simon Jones. And those involved want to ensure the best stories are toasted as 25 years of acknowledging achievement is marked.

With strength and longevity a clear feature of the awards themselves, they will undoubtedly be some of the qualities sought for in nominations, alongside those early in a journey into the next 25 years.

And the recent welcoming of Queen’s Award-winning FEO as headline partner underlines the regal feel of the event, with the timing of the launch helping prolong the winning mentality in the city from Hull KR’s Challenge Cup victory and Humber Business Week highs.

The 2025 celebration will take place at Hull’s DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel on Thursday, November 20. There will again be a dozen awards presented, with a nomination deadline of September 19 set. Packages of support tailored to the individual category are again part of the extended prize for the winners. 

Last time out, Ideal Heating was the stand-out performer, with the National Avenue operation named Large Business of the Year, while also taking the Environmental and Sustainability Award home.

Jason Speedy, chief operations officer, said: “As one of the region’s biggest employers, we were thrilled to be a double winner at the Hull and East Yorkshire Business Awards.

“The awards we won were a tremendous boost for all our people and a recognition of the contribution they all make to the business.

“It was a brilliant night and a fantastic celebration of all that is great about business in our region.

“We would encourage other companies to take the opportunity to put themselves in the spotlight and share their successes in the region’s most prestigious business awards.”

The growth accolade went to Hull-based Care Connection Partners. Deborah Stock, founder and managing director of the healthcare recruitment agency, said it was “a moment of immense pride for our whole team”.

“For us, the awards were a celebration of how far we've come as a business,” she said. “Being part of the HEY Business Awards also connects you with a wider community of successful businesses. I'd highly recommend entering the 2025 awards to other businesses, to help shine a light on their success and receive the recognition they deserve."

Hessle-based youth support and outreach provider Wild Intervention was named Small Business of the Year in 2024. Founder Caine Wild said: "The recognition received from the business community last year was a highlight of our journey so far. For Wild Intervention to thrive I had to prove a lot of people wrong and overcome doubts and push through negativity. Reflecting on what we had achieved in four years when submitting the application was a valuable activity in itself, and I'd encourage all who have a success story to tell to follow our footsteps. Positivity breeds positive outcomes."

Joining FEO in backing the awards are principal partners Bondholders, C3 Group, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Fred, GW Power-Safe, Horncastle Group, Hull City Council, Hull Live, KCOM, Layer8, MKM, Sewell Group, Skills Bootcamp Hull, Spencer Group, University of Hull and Wilkin Chapman Rollits.

The awards website will guide potential nominees, sponsors and partners towards the gala dinner, with full entry criteria available at www.heybusinessawards.co.uk. Tickets will also be on sale soon.

This year’s accolades:   

• Lifetime Achievement Award

• Start-Up Business of the Year (Less than two years old)

• Small Business of the Year (Less than 50 employees)

• Best Place to Work

• Environmental & Sustainability Award

• Charity of the Year

• Innovation Award

• Entrepreneur of the Year

• Team of the Year

• Large Business of the Year

• Growth Award

• Rising Star

Full details of how to enter and the criteria for each category can be found on the website - www.heybusinessawards.co.uk