Awards Categories
The National Maritime SME Awards 2025 has a category for you.
With twenty-three different awards designed to capture key aspects of business, we are excited to be uniting the absolute best of the nationâs businesses, of all shapes and sizes. The categories you choose should be the ones that most reflect your organisations or the nomineeâs successful business initiative.
REMEMBER: Each business can only be nominated for a maximum of four categories. If subsequent nominations are received, only the first four will be considered for the shortlisting process. Nominations will only be considered from businesses or candidates living and working within the UK. All nominated companies or individuals must be a maritime SME or work for a maritime SME. An SME is any organisation that has fewer than 250 employees and a turnover of less than ÂĢ43,402,203 (âŽ50 million or a balance sheet total less than ÂĢ37,327,527.00 (âŽ43 million).
This award will go to the business that can show outstanding initiative, boldness and imagination in the enterprise, as well as sound management practices. This category is open to any business. There is no turnover criteria. The business must demonstrate outstanding performance, particularly over the last 12-24 months, in several aspects relating to their business operation. This should include commercial success, clear plans for growth, commitment to staff, local communities, environment and customers, a track record of innovation and strong leadership. Entrants must have been trading for a minimum of two years as of 17th September 2025.
2023 Winners : Goodchild Marine Limited
The Alan Woods Lifetime Achievement Award, is presented by vote of the National Maritime executive to an individual who, during their lifetime, have made outstanding and significant contributions to the field of the UK maritime sector.
Alan Woods MBE, is the Chair/ founder of Woodsâ Silver Fleet and co-founder of Thames Clippers who continues to be a passionate advocate of Thames passenger boat building, safety and design innovation.
2023 : Wayne Ross
This award is made to a business, volunteer or community group in recognition of their significant contribution in helping to regenerate and transform UK coastal towns or regions, local rivers and inland waterways.
2023 Winners : Govan Drydocks Limited
This award will go to a businessperson or entrepreneur who shows outstanding initiative, boldness and imagination in the enterprise, as
well as sound management practices. This individual must demonstrate they have achieved commercial success, have clear plans, strategies and goals for their business and a strong track record of innovation. This category is open to any individual who is instrumental
as the business owner or main shareholder in leading their successful business or organisation in reaching its goals and potential.
Candidates should be under 40 years of age on the 18th September 2024. The Judges will be looking for an individual from any sector of the maritime industry who has demonstrated success in bringing new thinking to established industry practice or finding innovative solutions to ongoing industry challenges.
2023 Winners: Gemma Alcock â SkyBound Rescuer
The Outstanding Maritime Apprentice of the Year Award acknowledges the outstanding achievements of an apprentice who has successfully applied their learning in the workplace to advance themselves, their organisation and the community around them. The apprentice will demonstrate: A high level of progression and commitment to their own personal and professional development, Management or leadership capabilities that are already making a positive impact on their employer, peers, or provider, How their learning during their apprenticeship has been directly applied to their workplace and the impact it has had. Nominees will be asked to attend an on-line interview conducted by the judging panel.
2023 Winners: Harry Rowe â MIT Group
The winners of Family Business of the Year will be combining their passion in business with their shared family values. Your business may have been passed down to you or you have started a business to pass on to your children in the future. The judges will be looking at how you can grow your business while keeping your core family values at the centre of everything you do. This category is open to any family business that is owned and operated by two or more members of a single family. They must be related either by blood, marriage, civil partnership, cohabitation, or adoption. Entrants must have been trading for a minimum of two years as of 17th September 2025.
2023 Winners: Goodchild Marine
This category is open to any organisation, that is successfully marketing its products or services (including digital export trade) to customers outside the UK, and/or marketing products or services (including those of third parties) domestically. Entrants must be able to demonstrate outstanding improvements in commercial performance through export strategies and how international strategies have been developed, how products or services have been tailored for overseas or domestic markets.
2023 Winners: Ultraguard Antifouling
The âDisruptor of the Yearâ award is for those entrepreneurs and businesses that are challenging established thinking with an innovative product or service which is less than 10 years old. This award recognises individuals who have demonstrated exceptional creativity, originality, and entrepreneurial spirit in their pursuit of new ideas and innovative solutions. Nominees for this award will have shown a willingness to challenge conventional thinking and to disrupt established business models, leading to significant changes and advancements in their respective industries.
2023 Winners: MarinaTex
The award recognises any business or individual that sparked, realised, or significantly contributed with a specific initiative towards the use of clean energy or the transition to net zero emissions for the Maritime sector.
2023 Winners: Optima Electric Yachts
The award will recognise the outstanding business in the sector that pioneers the digital workplace through exceptional teamwork and leadership, innovative and engaging approaches, and standout achievements and impact. Criteria for businesses entering will include: strategy and goals, teamwork and leadership, engagement and change, innovation and learning, achievements and impact.
2023 Winners: Green Marine
This category is open to any organisation, within which technology is a key element and where innovation and the continuous development of technology is a major function of their business.
2023 Winners: Solis Marine Engineering
This award is open to all maritime education programmes and activities that are developed with the aim of expanding learning, enhancing access to information and providing unique academic experiences to all age groups, including adults. The judges will specifically be looking for quantified results of learning; quality and effectiveness of materials used; the degree of innovation in delivering the initiative; the level of student engagement and use of awareness raising to promote the activities; any future plans and activities the entrant has undertaken to seek to teach others and further educate using the same programme template; and finally the time and resource committed to the project.
2023 Winners: IBTC International Boatbuilding Training College Lowestoft
This award will go to a business that has developed and implemented an effective, holistic strategy which has had a proven and significant positive impact on the wellbeing of its workforce.
2023 Winners: MIT Group
A category which celebrates businesses that are crashing through the algorithms and channelising the chatter to create innovative, meaningful engagement that produces tangible results. This award is the ultimate Social Media accolade, as they reward the best work and best campaigns.
2023 Winners: Arksen
This category is open to any business that can demonstrate commercial success and strategies for growth whilst achieving excellence in its commitment to the community. Businesses must show evidence that it has schemes, initiatives and policies which have maximum positive impact on local communities. Judges will be looking for clear methods of evaluation, effects on financial performance and involvement of staff and customers.
Please note: This award is not just open to SME’s, it is instead open to public sector, third sector and community organisations including but not limited to academic institutions, charities & community partnerships.
Has your business undergone a major transformation in the past 24 months? This Award goes to a business that has stepped away from the âusualâ processes to challenge itself and those within the business. Judges will be looking for evidence of projects that have transformed the business. Judges will also be looking for evidence of research taken ahead of the project to assess the scope, then the teams that were assigned to the project (Third party? Finance? HR?), how the project timeline was adhered too and ultimately its demonstrable results. Judges will look for meaningful measurements beyond profits and cost benefits to measure its success.
2023 Winners: SMS Group
This award is presented to an individual or business which has made a significant technological contribution to improving maritime safety or the protection of the maritime environment. Such contribution can have been made either by a specific activity or over a period of time.
2023 Winners: SkyBound Rescuer
The sustainability function is critical in modern business. To achieve their ESG targets and grow sustainably, businesses now look to their sustainability teams to lead the way. This category recognises the team that works collaboratively towards a shared sustainability purpose. This team will demonstrate initiative, creativity, and resilience to effect change in their organisation and improve ESG conditions.
Judges will be looking for entries that highlight how the company: Built a high-performing team with a culture of openness and trust, Improved ESG performance thanks to the unique contribution of the team, Fostered a culture for sustainability around the business, Broke down silos and encouraged cross-functional collaboration on ESG improvements and Developed capabilities in the team that future proof the function.
2023 Winners: Seacat Services
*Please note, these awards are not open for entry and will be decided by the judging panel based on submissions within other categories.
** These awards are not open for self -nomination.
Entries must be received by 17.00 hrs on Friday, August 15th, 2025, to qualify for judging.