Frequently Asked Questions

Over the years we've been asked many questions, from 'what constitutes the Midlands' through to 'how do you define a family business'. If the answer to your question isn't covered, get in touch!

Who organises the Awards?

The Midlands Family Business Awards were created by The Wilson Organisation, a third generation family business founded in 1914, providing insurance and financial solutions to businesses across the Midlands and UK. Wilsons is run by Charlotte Perkins, Group MD and Annabel Prow, CEO, who are the driving force behind the Midlands Family Business Awards. Charlotte and Annabel are supported at Wilsons by their father John Prow (Chairman) and mother Olga. www.wilorg.com

What are the key dates for 2024?

Entries will open on Thursday 22 February and will close on Friday 6 April – although we’re very accommodating if you need a little more time. The Finalists are announced on Monday 29 April and we will host the Finalists Celebration & Judging Briefing on Thursday 16 May.

Judging takes place between Monday 3 June and Friday 28 June; each category has its own judging day when the six finalists in each category will be interviewed by their independent judging panel.  The judging date for each category is detailed on the entry form, please reserve this date in your diary when you enter. The decisions on the Winner and two Highly Commended are made at the end of each judging day and kept secret until the Awards Ceremony.

The People’s Choice Briefing will take place on Thursday 4 July, voting will open on Monday 2 September and close on Friday 27 September.  The Awards Ceremony & Dinner will take place on Thursday 3 October.

How much does it cost to enter?

Entries are completely free - no registration fees, no admin fees, no entry fees. Each family business can enter up to two categories for which they are eligible. Our finalists all have the opportunity to purchase tickets to the Awards Ceremony & Dinner. We are very fortunate that tickets have sold out every year, so these have never been placed on general sale. Everyone in attendance is involved with the Awards either as a sponsor, judge or finalist, making for a great atmosphere.

How do you define a family business?

We define a family business as being influenced by a family or by a family relationship and that perceives itself to be a family business. For example, the family as a body may effectively control business operations because it owns more than 50% of the voting shares or because family members fill a significant number of the top management positions.

Since 2010 we've had finalists running family businesses that are in their 14th generation, through to husband and wife teams with newly established family businesses - and everything in between. We usually say ‘if you think you’re a family business, then you probably are!’ If you are not sure if your family business will qualify, please just get in touch.

What constitutes the Midlands?

For the purposes of the Midlands Family Business Awards, we define the Midlands as including Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Rutland, Lincolnshire, Birmingham, West Midlands, Warwickshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Northamptonshire.

We also accept entries from the informal region known as the South Midlands which includes areas of Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. We review our counties list each year and if you have any doubt as to whether you fall within our region, just ask!

What's the judging process?

Our Awards are completely independent and each of our 10 categories has its own judging panel. Each judging panel will include a family business leader, supported by a sponsor representative, an industry expert or representative from a professional body, and a member Awards team to facilitate the day. We don’t judge, just ensure it’s fair, consistent and runs to time.

A shortlist of six businesses will be decided for each award category, they then go forward to informal interview with our judging panel who will want to find out more about the business, its road to success and plans for the future. The interviews will help our judges to select the winner and two highly commended businesses and the decision is made by the panel at the end of the judging day.

The People's Choice category is decided purely by public vote and all our finalists are entered.  The results of all categories remain confidential and are announced at the Awards Ceremony & Dinner.

When will you announce the winners?

The winners and highly commended in each of our 10 judged categories, and the People's Choice Award decided purely by public vote, will be announced at the Awards Ceremony & Dinner on Thursday 3 October 2024.

Will you protect the details I provide on my registration?

The Midlands Family Business Awards team is committed to protecting your privacy. We understand that the information you provide to us is your information, and we intend to keep it that way. All our judges sign a Confidentiality Agreement before entries are shared with them.

We don't share data, sell data or mail you on behalf of others and we comply with the General Data Protection Regulations and Data Protection Act. We will use the details you provide to keep you up-to-date with Awards information, news and family business events, and will always provide you with a way to unsubscribe. If you have any queries in relation to your data please contact Ped.

Further information

For further information on any aspect of the Awards, or if you have a question that’s not covered above, please contact Ped or Natalie. They’ll be very happy to help!