Francesca James

The Great British Entrepreneur Awards, in partnership with Starling Bank, acknowledges and champions the hard work and inspiring stories of entrepreneurs and businesses across the UK.

Over the years, it has celebrated some household names including Julie Deane of Cambridge Satchel Co, James Watt of BrewDog, Alan and Juliet Barrett of Grenade and Shaun Pulfrey of Tangle Teezer.

Its most recent headline grabbing success story is its previous winner Steven Bartlett, who in May was announced as the youngest ever Dragon on BBC’s Dragons Den.

There are 17 categories in total, including Creative Industries Entrepreneur of the Year, Start-Up Entrepreneur of the Year and Young Entrepreneur of the Year. The Regional Awards take place during September with the winners going on to the National Final in November.

Francesca James, founder of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards, said she hopes more people in Scotland will stand up and be recognised. She said: “Scotland is home to some outstanding entrepreneurs and over the years has produced some incredible finalists. It really is one of the UK’s most promising regions, but we can only recognize these fantastic individuals if they apply.

“As well as the recognition, our finalists and winners join our fantastic Alumni community that supports each other all year round. From networking and thought leadership, right the way through to mentoring and guidance - being a part of our ecosystem of entrepreneurs can be incredibly rewarding.

“So I would encourage anyone who has put themselves out there, worked hard and started a business, big or small, to take one more step and apply.”

The deadline for the Great British Entrepreneur Awards is Friday 11th June. To enter you can go to the website.