Frequently Asked Questions
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The awards are open to women across the North East, with categories recognising founders, employees and leaders across business, the public sector and the third sector. Employer of the Year recognises an organisation rather than an individual.
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Entering gives you the chance to take stock of what you've achieved and have it recognised by an independent judging panel. If you know someone doing exceptional work, nominating them makes sure their achievements don't go unnoticed.
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Yes. You can nominate an exceptional woman for an award or enter yourself.
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If you're nominated, we'll contact you and invite you to complete the relevant entry form. You may receive more than one nomination, but you only need to submit one entry for each category you wish to enter.
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Yes. You can enter more than one category where you meet the relevant eligibility criteria.
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No. The North East Women of Excellence Awards are free to enter.
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The awards are open to eligible entrants from across the North East, including Northumberland, Newcastle, Gateshead, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Sunderland, County Durham and Tees Valley.
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Each category has detailed guidance to help you choose. If you're still unsure, contact us and we'll be happy to help.
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For these awards, a start-up is a business that has been trading for no more than three years at the time entries open.
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For the purposes of these awards, we use the widely recognised OECD definition of a scale-up as our benchmark: a business achieving average annual growth of at least 20% over a three-year period, measured by turnover or employees, with at least 10 employees at the beginning of that period.
This is intended as a guide rather than a strict eligibility threshold. We recognise that businesses scale in different ways and welcome applications from founders who can demonstrate significant, sustained growth and a clear transition beyond the start-up phase.
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Entrants must be aged 30 or under at the time of application.
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Entries are assessed independently against clear criteria for each category. There is no public voting and measures are in place to manage conflicts of interest.
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Sponsors may participate in judging but cannot judge the category they sponsor.
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Entries open on 14th September 2026.
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Entries close on 15th November 2026.
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Finalists will be announced on 3rd December 2026.
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No, although we'd love all finalists to join us to celebrate on the night. If you're unable to attend and go on to win your category, you can nominate someone to collect the award on your behalf.
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The inaugural North East Women of Excellence Awards will take place on 28th January 2027 at The Biscuit Factory, Newcastle upon Tyne.
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A limited number of Founding Partnership opportunities are available for the inaugural awards.