Industry-leading awards which recognise talent and excellence in business and education have been awarded their own outstanding accolade for the fifth consecutive year – the only awards programme in the region to be awarded such recognition.
All Things Business, the organisers of the Northamptonshire Business Excellence Awards (NBEAs), Northamptonshire Education Awards (NEAs) and Milton Keynes Education Awards (MKEAs) is celebrating its own success after being awarded the Awards Trust Mark – Outstanding accreditation for the fifth year in a row.
The annual awards attract hundreds of entries every year as leaders in business and education in the region are celebrated for their successes. Since the NBEAs first launched in 2018, the collective awards process and ceremonies have grown in popularity and achieved a reputation as the leading awards in Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes, celebrating the very best in the business and education sectors.
From unsung heroes to innovation and business leaders, the varied categories in all three awards shine a spotlight on the success stories of businesses, individuals, schools and leading lights across the region.
The NBEAs, NEAs and MKEAs all achieved the highest possible accolades of Awards Trust Mark – Outstanding which is awarded by The Independent Awards Standards Council (IASC).
The programme of awards has to meet the IASC’s exemplary, exacting standards in order to receive Awards Trust Mark – Outstanding, considered the highest standard of award accreditation.
Ben Thomas, awards founder and Managing Director of All Things Business, welcomed the news.
He said: “We are delighted to announce this phenomenal achievement and proud to be the only awards programmes in Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes to have achieved this prestigious recognition.
“It demonstrates how highly regarded our awards are by businesses, leaders in education and industry wide. We know business needs education and education needs business, which is why we established these awards to recognise the incredible, outstanding talent within Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes. We look forward to celebrating all of the entrants and winners at all three awards ceremonies, which will take place later this year.”
The Awards Trust Mark initiative is a not-for-profit accreditation programme run by the IACS with the goal of enhancing trust between those entering awards and the organisations running them. It is based around a voluntary code of conduct that awards organisers commit to. The highest levels (advanced and outstanding) not only have the most extensive list of elements within the code of conduct but are also validated by calling a randomly selected awards judges and entrants. The initiative aims to raise standards in the industry.
The IASC revealed news of the achievement on its website stating …”We are delighted to announce that the Northamptonshire Business Excellence Awards and Northamptonshire Education Awards and the Milton Keynes Education Awards all successfully re-accredited their outstanding award programmes. Feedback from entrants and judges alike really stood out to The IASC with comments such as: “…the team at All Things Business are absolutely amazing and so, so lovely” and “The judging process is very well organised with dates and expectations provided well in advance along with reminders…The awards ceremony was amazing and really had ‘the wow factor’. Congrats again to All Things Business, a regional team showing how it can be done year after year”.
Established in 2018 the NBEAs have been championing and celebrating local businesses for several years and were shortly followed by the launch of the NEAs and MKEAs.
Ben Thomas added: “All Things Business holds an Outstanding rating from the Awards Trust Mark scheme, which was established with the aim of encouraging more award programmes to focus on their own ethics and transparency.
“The scheme scrutinises everything from criteria, scoring, feedback, transparency and judging. This means all entries are scored against set criteria and marked through a bespoke software-based scoring system before finalists are selected. The finalists are then considered by the independent judges to choose a winner.”
The awards would not be the success they are without the outstanding entrants and in the process of achieving the Awards Trust Mark judges and winners provided their insights and feedback.
Ian Pryce, a judge for the MKEAs said: “I really enjoyed the experience. In my previous role I have often been asked to judge things but the MK awards were exceptionally professionally organised, and scrupulously fair.”
Jess Fellows, a judge for the NEAs said: “I think it is important to understand the challenges that education is faced with at present. There are levels of scrutiny and pressure and yet amongst this there are people that shine and make the profession a better place to be. These awards celebrate this and enable us to recognise the people that make a difference.”
Lindsay Martin from Eastfield Academy highlighted how winning Primary School of the Year Award and the Environmental & Sustainability Award at the NEAs in 2025 had made a meaningful difference.
She added: “Winning the NEA Primary School of the Year award has been a transformative moment for our school …receiving this recognition was incredible.
“This award has opened so many doors for us, allowing us to strengthen our connections with organisers and sponsors and to explore new opportunities that we never imagined possible. It has given our school a platform to showcase the creativity, dedication, and passion of our staff, students, and community and we are determined to use this title to continue making a positive impact.
“We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Ben Thomas, and to Louise Newton for her work organising and delivering the awards night. We hope to come back this year!”.
