Harrogate Business Awards 2026: Category spotlight
The Harrogate Business Awards 2026 celebrate the businesses, people and organisations helping the district thrive.
With 11 categories to choose from, including two new awards for 2026, we’re profiling each category to highlight what the judges are looking for and encourage businesses to enter before the deadline on Wednesday, August 12.
Rural Business of the Year
The Rural Business of the Year Award celebrates the businesses at the heart of the Harrogate district's villages, hamlets and rural communities.
Open to businesses based in rural locations, this category recognises organisations that are driving economic growth, creating jobs and making a positive difference to the communities they serve.
Whether you're a family-run enterprise, a visitor attraction, a food producer or a specialist business, this award celebrates the vital role rural businesses play in the district's success.
Judges will be looking for businesses that can demonstrate how they have contributed to their local area through innovation, employment or economic impact.
Entries should also show how the business competes successfully within its sector, alongside its approach to customer experience, employee engagement and attracting and retaining talented staff.
Applicants are encouraged to showcase their key achievements over the past 12 months, while also outlining their ambitions and plans for the next five years.
Could your business be recognised as one of the district's leading rural enterprises?
Sustainability Award
The Sustainability Award recognises businesses that are putting the environment and sustainable practices at the heart of everything they do.
Open to organisations of all sizes and sectors, this category celebrates businesses that are reducing their environmental impact while demonstrating that commercial success and sustainability can go hand in hand.
Judges will be looking for businesses that can demonstrate a clear commitment to minimising their environmental footprint through initiatives such as recycling, carbon reduction, water conservation or the use of sustainable energy.
Entries should also highlight the progress made over the past 12 months and how the business is helping to drive wider improvements within the green economy.
Applicants are encouraged to showcase how their organisation has achieved business growth and financial success while delivering measurable social and environmental benefits.
Could your business be recognised for leading the way in sustainability?
Entries for the Harrogate Business Awards 2026 close on Wednesday, August 12.
Find out more and enter at: