Much is written about the UK’s need for economic growth, higher productivity and more innovation. Yet behind every successful business lies something more basic and essential: the entrepreneur willing to take risks. To encourage this, the new King’s Award for Enterprise – Young Founder is a welcome development.
Run by the Department for Business & Trade with the support of Buckingham Palace, the King’s Awards are regarded as the UK’s most prestigious business awards, recognising excellence in International Trade, Innovation, Sustainability and Promoting Opportunity.
Now, for the first time, there is a dedicated category designed specifically to recognise outstanding entrepreneurs aged 18 to 30. Importantly, the purpose of the award goes beyond simply recognising individual achievement. It is intended to showcase entrepreneurship as a viable and attractive career path, inspire future founders and give promising young business leaders the much-needed recognition and visibility to accelerate their growth.
This matters because our future prosperity depends upon people being willing to create businesses, generate employment, develop new products and services, and solve problems in innovative ways.
Eligibility and judging criteria
The award is not aimed at people with simply a good idea. Applicants must already be building a business with genuine traction.
Eligibility requirements include:
- Founder aged 18 to 30 in May 2027
- Founder actively leading the business
- UK-based organisation, with at least two years of trading
- Minimum of two employees
- Evidence of commercial success or growth potential
- Strong environmental, social and governance practices
The judges will assess applicants against five key themes:
- Fresh ideas and creative thinking
- Growth and industry influence
- Leadership and inspiration
- Strategic resilience
- Customer value and impact
There is no shortage of ambitious young people creating new businesses and solving real-world problems. Too often, however, these founders remain below the radar. The new Young Founder category provides an opportunity to change that.
For winners, the benefits extend far beyond the trophy itself. National recognition can enhance credibility with customers, investors and future employees, while opening doors to new networks and opportunities. For a growing business, that can be transformative.
However, there is an even bigger prize. If we are serious about encouraging enterprise, we need to celebrate entrepreneurial role models more visibly. Young people need to see examples of founders who look like them, come from the same communities, successfully turning ideas into growing businesses. We must show young people that building a business is a realistic and worthwhile aspiration.
That is why we should encourage not only young entrepreneurs to consider applying, but also colleges, universities, investors, the local authorities, chambers of commerce plus business networks and advisers to actively identify and support potential candidates.
The UK has never been short of entrepreneurial talent. The challenge is ensuring that talented founders are recognised, celebrated and supported. If entrepreneurship is to remain a powerful driver of innovation, productivity and economic growth, the next generation of business builders must be given both the confidence and the platform to succeed.
Help and support
Businesses considering an application should not be deterred by the prestige of the King’s Awards for Enterprise. The Lord-Lieutenant’s Office can help raise awareness of the awards, provide information on the application process and support eligible businesses to consider applying.
The inaugural Young Founder Award will undoubtedly identify some remarkable entrepreneurs. Applications for the new category are now open and close on September 8, 2026, with the first awards to be announced in May 2027.
The question is how many potential candidates will recognise that they, too, might be among them. Do you know a future winner? Better still, are you one?
The future of the UK economy may depend on it!
For more information contact adrian@bepartners.org
Chair
Be. Partners Ltd
