The award is one moment. The story behind it could travel much further.
Southampton Business Award brings together entrepreneurs, business owners, leaders, teams, innovators and organisations with stories worth discovering.
Whether you work for a newspaper, a television channel, a magazine or a social media channel, tell us what your audience cares about. We'll help you explore what could be relevant.
Great businesses create great stories.
The trophy may be the final moment. The real story may have started years earlier.
Some stories belong in newspapers.
Some belong on podcasts.
Some deserve an interview, or video.
Some deserve a business feature.
Some simply introduce your audience to someone they should know.
Someone took a risk.
Someone started with nothing.
Someone nearly failed.
Someone built a team.
Someone changed an industry.
Someone kept going when quitting would have been easier.
Someone quietly achieved something extraordinary.
Those are the stories we want to help people discover.
Newspapers, television, magazines and social media.
Newspapers
National, regional and local papers, in print and online: news, features and business pages.
Television
News, business and regional programmes: interviews, features and ceremony coverage.
Magazines
Business, trade and lifestyle titles: profiles, features and industry angles.
Social media
Channels, pages and accounts with an audience that wants business stories.
What kind of stories are you looking for?
Choose any.
Who is your audience?
Tell us what you cover. We'll help you find what fits.
Six quick questions. Something useful comes back before we ask for any details.
What best describes you?
Choose one.
Where this year's stories are coming from
The story territories Southampton Business Award recognises through its own award categories. Individual story profiles appear only once participants have agreed to media availability; until then, tell us what you need and we'll ask for you.
Leadership & CEO
Decisions, direction and leading people through change.
147 related categories, for example Ethical Leadership Excellence Award
That's a story I'd coverEntrepreneurship
Starting, building and keeping going.
13 related categories, for example New Business of the Year Award
That's a story I'd coverGrowth & Scale
Turning ambition into sustainable progress.
4 related categories, for example Scale-Up Business Owner of the Year Award
That's a story I'd coverSales & Commercial
Winning customers and building revenue.
6 related categories, for example Sales Director of the Year Award
That's a story I'd coverMarketing & Brand
How brands earn attention and trust.
71 related categories, for example Emerging Social Media Firm of the Year Award
That's a story I'd coverPeople & Culture
Teams, workplaces and the people who make them work.
16 related categories, for example Business Finance Team of the Year Award
That's a story I'd coverFinance & Investment
Money, risk and investing in growth.
19 related categories, for example Accounting Firm of the Year Award
That's a story I'd coverTechnology & AI
What technology is changing, and how.
15 related categories, for example Iconic Technology Influencer
That's a story I'd coverInnovation
New ideas that made a real difference.
9 related categories, for example Business Innovator of the Year Award
That's a story I'd coverInternational Business
Taking a business across borders.
6 related categories, for example International Development Director of the Year Award
That's a story I'd coverCustomer Experience
Why customers choose, stay and recommend.
39 related categories, for example Customer Service Excellence Award
That's a story I'd coverProperty & Construction
Building, developing and investing in places.
37 related categories, for example Property Director of the Year Award
That's a story I'd coverSustainability & Impact
Doing right by people and planet.
32 related categories, for example Emerging Social Media Firm of the Year Award
That's a story I'd coverProfessional Services
The advisers businesses rely on.
11 related categories, for example Fast-Growing Law Firm of the Year Award
That's a story I'd coverWhat kind of media relationship do you want?
Newspapers & journalists
Find the story.
News, interviews, announcements, media assets and press opportunities.
Explore press accessTelevision & broadcast
Find the voice.
Founders, CEOs, experts and leaders relevant to your audience, with their consent.
Find potential guestsMagazines & trade titles
Find the industry angle.
Sector businesses, trends, leaders and stories.
Explore industry storiesSocial media
Find the moment.
Interviews, behind-the-scenes and visual stories for your channel.
Explore content accessPR professionals
Public relations has its own page.
Online and offline PR: client entries, finalist and winner PR, and PR partnership.
Go to PRMedia partners
Don't just cover the story. Help it travel.
A deeper relationship with the awards programme.
Explore media partnershipWhat are you here to do?
Media access, media partnership and advertising or sponsorship are three different things. None of them requires another.
The story doesn't start on awards night.
Before
Discover the stories.
During
Capture the moment.
After
Help the story travel.
Beyond
Stay close to the stories.
Press & content studio
The story doesn't have to wait until tomorrow.
Professional photography, winner interviews and social-ready assets are captured on the night. Ask the media team what will be available this year.
Explore press & content accessMedia resource centre
Everything you need to cover the story.
On request
Press releases, Finalist announcements, Winner announcements, Approved photography, Logos & brand assets, Spokesperson information, Event accreditation, Interview requests
Need an expert voice?
Tell us the subject: leadership, entrepreneurship, finance, technology, AI, property, people, sustainability, growth or your own industry. We'll look for participants who have agreed to media availability and ask on your behalf.
Covering the awards?
Request media access or an interview
Accreditation, interviews, assets or story information. Five short steps; requests are reviewed, not approved automatically.
Exploring, or representing a client?
Register media interest
Tell us who you are and what you cover. The media team will be in touch.
Tell us what you cover. We'll surface stories that may fit.
Not every press release to everyone: only stories that match your industries, story types and geography.
Industries you cover
Story types
Geography
Choose at least one industry or story type, so we only send what fits.
You need stories. We need great stories to travel.
For media organisations interested in a longer collaboration around content, distribution, audience or campaigns.
The awards bring
Media organisations bring
Together, the right story reaches the right people.
What could we create together?
What do you bring?
What would make the relationship valuable to you?
Editorial independence
Clear boundaries make every story more credible.
Sponsorship does not buy editorial coverage. A media partnership does not guarantee positive coverage.
Sponsors have no editorial influence, and advertising has no influence on results. Independent judges decide the awards.
Nominee, entrant and judge contact details are never shared with media without consent; every introduction depends on it.
Five separate things, kept separate.
Media, or another way to get involved?
Media report and distribute stories editorially; creators make their own content; sponsors buy visibility. Each has its own page, and none of them requires another.
Know someone?
Who tells great business stories?
The journalist on the business beat, the podcaster who finds great guests, the editor who loves a founder story. Send them this page; they decide whether to get in touch.
What media professionals ask us
Do I need to be a media partner to get press information?+
No. Media access (stories, information, interviews, accreditation) is separate from media partnership, and both are separate from advertising and sponsorship.
Can I attend the ceremony?+
You can request media access. Requests are reviewed rather than approved automatically, and the team will confirm what is available for the year.
Can I interview finalists, winners or founders?+
Yes, where they agree. Introductions always depend on the participant’s consent; we never pass on nominee, entrant or judge contact details without it.
Are photographs and video available?+
The press & content studio captures professional photography, winner interviews and social-ready assets on the night. Approved assets are available on request.
Can you send us stories that fit our beat?+
Yes. Tell us what you cover and we will only send stories that match it, rather than every press release to everyone.
Is there an expert we could speak to?+
Participants who agree to media availability can be introduced for comment. Tell us the subject and we will look for someone suitable.
Does sponsorship or partnership affect coverage or results?+
No. Sponsors support the awards, independent judges decide the results, and editorial decisions belong to you.
There's a story here someone needs to hear.
Maybe it's the founder who nearly gave up.
The CEO transforming an industry.
The team nobody outside the company knows about.
The entrepreneur starting again after failure.
The winner whose trophy represents ten years of work nobody saw.
You know your audience. We're building a community full of stories.
Let's find the ones worth telling.