This Award is open to any Oxfordshire-based business that started trading after 1 January 2021.

The judges will be looking for evidence of:

• How the start-up was achieved

• How it succeeded in securing investment or wider external support to develop and launch the business idea

• How effectively the business has operated in-light of the pandemic, given it launched during or shortly after the Covid-19 pandemic

• The strength and stability of the business, particularly given the emergence of Covid-19 and ongoing wider economic difficulties

• An understanding of the market in which the business operates

• How the business has embraced innovation, supporting it to be as productive as it can be

• In-light of the pandemic, demonstrating how the business ‘pivoted’ – or even diversified – its original business model to support its ongoing continuity

• A vision and strategy for future development

• Plans for growth, including workforce development and possible opportunities for young people within the business