Family firms are a cornerstone of the UK economy. Research from the Family Business Research Foundation shows the sector contributes hundreds of billions in gross value added and employs millions of people, and the Gerald Edelman Family Business of the Year Award celebrates the very best of them.
This guide explains what the judges look for and how to build a winning family business entry.
About the award
The best family businesses combine a long-term vision aligned to legacy, integrity and values with loyal employees and inclusive leadership. This award celebrates family firms that are exemplary employers, growing sustainably, delivering profit with purpose and having a positive impact on their communities.
Who can enter?
The award is open to any UK-based family business, large or small. Judges look for strong financial performance, inspirational leadership, innovation, exceptional customer engagement, engaged employees, and profit with purpose, integrity and values. The family-business angle matters, so evidence it. The sector’s wider tax and economic contribution is documented by PwC. Read the full criteria on the Family Business category page before you enter.
How the award is judged
Entries are scored against four weighted criteria. The weightings tell you where to concentrate your entry, so plan your word count to match them:
|
Criterion |
Weighting |
|
Employee & Customer Engagement |
25% |
|
Leadership & Innovation |
25% |
|
Financial Performance & Growth |
25% |
|
Purpose Beyond Profit |
25% |
How to win, criterion by criterion
Employee & customer engagement (25%)
This award weights all four criteria equally, so do not neglect any of them. For engagement, show how your employer brand as a family business has improved retention and attraction, how you motivate your team to innovate, and how talent initiatives improved productivity and commercial performance. Evidence growth in your customer base over the last 18 months with case studies and data.
Leadership & innovation (25%)
Show how you have created and sustained a culture of innovation or continual improvement, with case studies of an innovative product, service or initiative that drove commercial success. Explain how your management structure, leadership philosophy and family culture supported profitable growth over the last 18 months.
Financial performance & growth (25%)
Set out your key growth metrics, financial targets, KPIs and timescales, with milestones and the barriers you overcame. Benchmark against peers on sales, profitability, social impact or market share, show performance against plan, and evidence what will sustain future growth.
Purpose beyond profit (25%)
With a full quarter of the marks, this is as important as any other criterion for a family business. Explain how your mission and values align with your business model and growth, what you are doing on environmental, social and governance impact, and how diversity and inclusion improved attraction and retention.
Evidence beats adjectives
Across every criterion, the same principle decides the score: judges reward proof and ignore assertion. Phrases like “market-leading” or “world-class” carry no marks on their own, while a number, a trend and an independent voice carry all of them. For each claim you make, attach a figure, show the journey with a starting point and an end point, and corroborate it with customer quotes, testimonials or third-party data. A good test is to read each sentence and ask: would a judge who knows nothing about us be able to score this? If not, add the evidence.
The finalist presentation
Judging happens in two stages. Your written entry is scored first, and if you are shortlisted you will be invited to London to present to a panel of four judges, with around 20 minutes to present and add colour to your entry and about 25 minutes of questions and answers. Prepare for both: the written entry gets you into the room, and the presentation wins the award. Build the presentation around your highest-weighted criteria rather than repeating the entry, bring people who can answer detailed questions, and rehearse for the toughest questions on your numbers. See our guide on how to write a winning awards entry for the full method.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Neglecting one criterion: all four are weighted equally at 25%.
- Telling the family story but not evidencing commercial results.
- Treating purpose and community as an afterthought when it carries 25%.
- Making claims with no numbers, trends or independent proof.
- Leaving the entry to the last minute rather than drafting and reviewing properly.
Your quick pre-submission checklist
- Have I mapped my word count to the weightings, with the most on the highest-weighted criteria?
- Is every important claim backed by a number, a trend or an independent voice?
- Have I answered every part of every question in the category criteria?
- Have I shown both my track record and a credible plan for sustained growth?
- Has someone outside the team read it and understood it without explanation?
Ready to enter?
The Family Business of the Year Award rewards firms that balance engagement, leadership, growth and purpose in equal measure. Build your entry evenly around the four criteria and prepare to present. For eligibility and process, see the entry FAQ.
Entries for the 2026 Lloyds British Business Excellence Awards close at midnight on Friday 3 July. Start your Family Business of the Year entry today.
