A hotbed of unrecognised talent West Country Women Awards: Year 3

There is a buzz around the region! The West Country Women Awards have once again opened for nominations, for the third year! Their mission is to celebrate and honour the achievements of women in the West Country, recognising their outstanding contributions to various fields and their positive impact on the community.

The awards have two fabulous headline sponsors, Plymouth Citybus (part of Go Ahead) and PL1 Events! The awards would not be able to run without their support. Talking about support, the awards Charity of the Year is now Gifted Women (their founder Jenny Adjene won The Women in Charity Award last year).

Last year over £3k was raised for previous Charity of the Year Georgia’s Voice! Let’s see if that total can be beaten!

Through this platform, the aim is to empower, inspire, and support women, fostering a culture of inclusivity and equality while highlighting their remarkable accomplishments. More about that later!

They have a collaboration with the Devon Women in Business Awards meaning their winners from 2023 receive a ‘Golden Ticket to become Semi-Finalists this September. But do you know a phenomenal woman who excels in her field and makes a positive impact in the West Country?

How does it work?

The nominations process is super easy! A West Country Woman only needs one nomination to unlock the application form! Fill this out on their website (westcountrywomen.co.uk), all you need is your details along with their name and email address (you can explain why you have nominated them too if you wish).

Once complete, your nominee gets a fabulous email drop into their mailbox automatically with those wonderful words “You’ve been NOMINATED”. What a fab way for someone to start their day, getting that along with a badge to use on their email signatures and social media graphics too!

For a nominee to continue their awards journey, a link is also included in the email to the application form. This application must be submitted, as the judges score these to work out their semi-finalists, finalists and ultimately their winner for November.

The awards are judged by category sponsors or ambassadors to the awards – it is not a public vote and they ask that women don’t post across social media asking for votes!

Categories

They’re on the hunt for nominations, recognising outstanding women across various categories! These categories are supported by local and national businesses and they even judge the applicants too. A lovely mix of businesses that support the awards, and it really does make a difference!

This year categories are launching categories in three stages:

Stage 1 - April 2024

WOMEN IN PROPERTY & CONSTRUCTION

Sponsored by: Ian Williams

THE PHOENIX AWARD

Sponsored by: Michael Spiers Jewellery

INSPIRATIONAL LEADER

Sponsored by: The Franchise Consultant

EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by: Womble Bond Dickinson

COMBATTING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS

Sponsored by: Devon & Cornwall Police & Crime Commissioner

WOMEN IN SPORT

Sponsored by: Kaya Gallery

WOMEN IN STEM

Sponsored by: MSubs

WOMEN IN HEALTH & WELLBEING

Sponsored by: Andrew Hill Hairdressers

DIVERSITY AND EQUALITY

Sponsored by: Plymouth City Council

ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by: Continuum

SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by: Clarks Shoes (Vivobarefoot)

Stage 2 - May 2024

GREEN BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by: Cavanna Homes

BEST SUPPORTING ACT

Sponsored by: Genius PR & Events

Stage 3 –June 2024

The following categories have now also launched:

WOMEN IN COMMUNITY

Sponsored by: Sponsored by South West Water

WOMEN IN ARTS & CULTURE

WOMEN IN FOOD AND DRINK

Sponsorship for these categories may still be available, please visit their website for details: www.westcountrywomen.co.uk/sponsorship