The Hive business network has officially launched their prestigious Blackburn with Darwen business awards.

The awards celebrate the brightest and best in the Blackburn with Darwen region, and Hive is expecting to see a raft of entries from local companies this year.

Ian Brown, chair of Hive said: “The Hive awards are one of the highlights of the Blackburn with Darwen calendar and a great opportunity for businesses to showcase the work they’ve been doing over the last year and really raise the profile of their company.”

The awards are one of the biggest events Hive puts on each year and are designed to both raise the profile of local companies and really celebrate what businesses are doing both in terms of their own growth and success but also in how they are improving Blackburn with Darwen as a place to invest, work and live in.

Winners of the Hive awards last year included international businesses like Tensa, charities such as Blackburn Youth Zone and small businesses such as Greenview Nurseries.

Ian said: “The Hive awards are about celebrating every business, individual, charity or organisation in the region, so whatever your sector or scale, there is an award category.Our one stipulation is that the business needs to be based or have links to the Blackburn with Darwen area.”

The awards are free to enter, and applications must be submitted before the 27 March via the Hive awards website https://awards.business-hive.co.uk/

The awards are judged by a panel made up of internal and external representatives. Judges will read and pre-score all entry forms, considering any supporting materials submitted. All judges pre-scores will be combined and the highest scoring entries will determine the shortlists.

Judges will meet to discuss the highest scoring entries and agree the winner for each category and shortlisted companies from the individual business categories will be required to attend a short, face to face interview.

The 2020 awards ceremony will take place on Thursday 25 June 2020 at King George’s Hall, Blackburn.

For more details on tickets, sponsorship and entering the awards visit https://awards.business-hive.co.uk/