Scale-ups are a hidden powerhouse of the UK economy. According to the ScaleUp Institute’s 2025 Annual Review, the UK is home to a record 44,595 scale-ups which, though just 0.5% of the business population, generate well over half of all SME output.
The Lloyds Scale Up Trailblazer Business of the Year Award celebrates the businesses driving that growth.
This guide explains what the judges look for and how to build a winning scale-up entry.
About the award
This award recognises scaling businesses that have demonstrated the highest levels of growth and have a robust plan to deliver sustained financial success. It rewards trailblazers that are not just growing, but scaling deliberately and sustainably.
Who can enter?
The award is open to any UK-based scale-up with a current turnover of at least £1 million per year, at least 10 employees, and average annualised growth of at least 20% over the last three years. Check the full eligibility on the Scale Up 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 |
|
Financial Performance & Growth |
30% |
|
Employee & Customer Engagement |
25% |
|
Leadership & Innovation |
25% |
|
Purpose Beyond Profit |
20% |
How to win, criterion by criterion
Financial performance & growth (30%)
This is the highest-weighted area, so lead with it. Evidence your growth clearly: revenue, headcount, margin and your annualised growth rate, with the financial targets, KPIs, milestones and barriers along the way. Benchmark against peers, show performance against plan, and set out a credible roadmap for sustaining that growth. Access to finance is a known driver of scaling, so explain how you have funded and managed your growth.
Employee & customer engagement (25%)
Scaling is a people challenge. Show how you have attracted, retained and motivated the team that powered your growth, and how that translated into a growing, loyal customer base over the last 18 months. Use engagement, productivity and customer metrics, with case studies, rather than assertions.
Leadership & innovation (25%)
Show the leadership and systems that made rapid growth possible without breaking. Evidence the innovations, technology, processes or automation you used to scale efficiently, and explain how your management structure and leadership approach drove performance as you grew.
Purpose beyond profit (20%)
Explain how your mission and values held up through scaling, what you are doing on environmental, social and governance impact, and how diversity, equity and inclusion strengthened the business as it grew.
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
- Showing growth without explaining how it was achieved or how it will be sustained.
- Under-investing in the financial section, which carries the most marks.
- Ignoring the people and systems story behind rapid scaling.
- Making growth claims with no metrics or benchmarks.
- 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 Scale Up Trailblazer Award rewards deliberate, sustainable, well-evidenced growth. Build your entry around the weightings and prepare to present with confidence. 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 Scale Up Trailblazer entry today.
