THIS is the last chance for business owners across the Winchester district to enter themselves in for this year’s Winchester Business Excellence Awards sponsored by Denplan.

All Winchester businesses, particularly new comers, are encouraged to participate and are eligible to enter as many of the award categories as they wish.

The deadline is Friday (March 14) and details of how to enter can be found online at hampshirechronicle.co.uk/wbea.

Sponsors of the Carbon Smart Award, Winchester City Council, will be looking for a winner who has demonstrated awareness of the environmental impact of their business and has plans in place to reduce this in the future.

The Entrepreneur of the Year Award, sponsored by the University of Winchester, will be presented to whomever has the ideas and passion needed to create flourishing businesses which benefit entire communities.

Entry to this category is open to all organisations with less than 200 employees and an operating address in the local authority district of Winchester.

1-1 Recruitment, one of four new sponsors this year, is sponsoring the Small Business of the Year Award which will be presented to an outstanding business or organisation with less than 15 full-time employees. The business must have demonstrated excellence in developing its business plan and meeting company objectives.

This year’s Service Excellence Award is sponsored by local radio station The Breeze and, for the first time in the business awards’ history, is a nomination only category.

This award will be made to an organisation focused on customer service initiatives to deliver business plan objectives and demonstrating improved business performance as a result.

The Business Collective sponsors the Corporate Social Responsibility Award. Increasingly businesses want to ‘do good’ as well as ‘do business’; whilst the environmental impact of a business has taken centre stage in recent years, a business will also have a great deal of influence on its local economy and communities.

Taking part for the fifth year running, this year sees the Winchester Business Improvement District (BID) sponsor the Commitment to the City Award.

This award is open to any BID business that has delivered significant tangible benefits to the city by way of improving the vitality, appeal and environment.

New to the awards is sponsor Hotel du Vin who are sponsoring the Best Winchester Food Experience Award. The winner will be a restaurant, hotel, pub, café or food producer which uses and promotes mainly regional, artisan, or Hampshire produce and offers consistently high-quality food and drink in an enjoyable atmosphere.

The Business of the Year Award is sponsored by Denplan and will be presented to a dynamic company which has demonstrated excellence in developing its business.

Chartered accountants firm Wilkins Kennedy will sponsor the Large Business of the Year Award which will be presented to an outstanding business or organisation with more than 15 full time employees. The business must have demonstrated excellence in developing its business plan and meeting company objectives.