South Wales Awards2026
Celebrating Business Excellence, Innovation and Leadership Across South Wales.
A guide for partners, sponsors and advertisers. Use the arrows or your keyboard to move through.
Counting down to the gala
Recognition businesses are proud to earn
South Wales Awards celebrates the businesses, entrepreneurs and leaders shaping South Wales. Free to enter, open across every sector, and built to give ambitious organisations three things that are hard to buy.
Credibility
Independent recognition, judged against published criteria — the kind of proof a customer, a buyer or a procurement panel accepts without argument.
Visibility
Press coverage, social reach and a shortlist announcement that puts your name in front of people who have never heard it.
Momentum
A badge that keeps working all year — on your site, in your bids, in your emails and in every conversation that follows.
4 themes. One vision. One night where every kind of excellence is seen.
A South Wales business engagement platform that culminates in a prestigious annual awards celebration.
The awards night is the headline moment — but the platform is the product. Across 6–12 months it connects businesses, sponsors, partners, exhibitors, suppliers, speakers and members into one commercial community, with the gala as its climax.
The awards are how you join. The community is why you stay.
This isn’t an “awards info” group. It’s a year-round business community — a WhatsApp network and business database where South Wales businesses connect, celebrate, collaborate and grow. The awards are simply the reason to join.
Connect · Celebrate · Collaborate · Grow
Connect
Meet the businesses, buyers and partners who matter across South Wales.
Celebrate
Champion the wins, milestones and people behind local business.
Collaborate
Share referrals, opportunities and ideas — all year, not one night.
Grow
Turn relationships into real commercial growth.
A community, not a database
Each stage feeds the next. The awards bring businesses in; the community turns them into entrants, finalists, attendees, sponsors, suppliers, partners — and customers for one another.
Every new customer, partner and supplier is a reason for the next business to join — and the flywheel turns again.
The scale of the programme
4
Award Themes
148
Award Categories
600+
Guests Expected
100%
Free to Nominate
Guest numbers are the planned capacity for the ceremony at Cardiff City Stadium and are indicative until seating closes.
4 themes, one platform
Each theme is its own world of recognition — a distinct area of focus with its own categories, judged on its own terms, celebrated on the same night.
Influence
Iconic Influencer Awards
For the voices shaping the conversation
Celebrating the influencers, creators and personalities whose ideas move audiences and shape culture.
Women in Business
Working Women Awards
Championing women in business
Recognising the achievements, leadership and resilience of women driving business forward in every sector.
Leadership
The Legacy of Leadership Award
Honouring a legacy of leadership
A distinguished accolade for the leaders whose vision and influence leave a lasting mark on business and community.
Business Excellence
Best Business Awards
The flagship celebration of excellence
Honouring the standout businesses, teams and entrepreneurs setting the standard for the region.
148 categories, one of them yours
Enter as many categories as genuinely fit. There is no cost per entry and no limit on how many you go for.
Best Business Awards39 categories
Iconic Influencer Awards47 categories
The Legacy of Leadership Award35 categories
Working Women Awards27 categories
One evening, the whole region in a room
Thursday, 29 Oct 2026 · Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff CF11 8AZ, United Kingdom
From entry to the stage
Entries are open now and close on 28 October 2026. Six steps, and the first one takes about ten minutes.
Nominations Open
Entries and public nominations are open now — completely free to enter.
Submit Your Entry
Tell your story across one or more categories. Enter as many as you like.
Independent Judging
A panel of independent experts reviews and scores every single entry.
Finalists Announced
The highest-scoring businesses are revealed and celebrated as finalists.
The Awards Gala
An unforgettable celebration at Cardiff City Stadium, Thursday, 29 Oct 2026.
Winners Revealed
Gold winners are crowned live and the Overall Winner is named.
And now, the commercial case
Who is in the room, what a partnership achieves, and exactly what you receive for it.
Not a logo on a banner — a platform
A year-round platform
Months of presence across the community, programme and gala — not one night.
A community, not a database
A living network that compounds — your brand grows in value as it grows.
Tangible inventory
Real, deliverable assets before, during and after — never vague “exposure”.
Backed by B2B Growth Hub
The infrastructure and team to actually deliver what we propose.
Around 600 guests, one evening
Thursday, 29 Oct 2026 · Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff CF11 8AZ, United Kingdom — finalists and their teams, the people who advise and fund them, and the people who write about them.
Ceremony
Thursday, 29 Oct 2026
Venue
Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff CF11 8AZ, United Kingdom
Format
Reception, dinner, ceremony, networking
Who a partnership puts you in front of
A partnership isn’t one night of exposure — it’s months in front of South Wales’s business community. The figures below are the substantiated foundation; verified reach figures are shared with partners during onboarding.
Gala attendance
Expected guests on the night
Award themes
Influence · Women · Excellence · Leadership
Award categories
A category for every business
Campaign duration
A year-round programme
Cost to enter
Free — maximising participation
Reach across the campaign
- South Wales-area businesses reachable
- On request
- Business owners & directors
- On request
- Email / database reach
- On request
- Social reach
- On request
- Website impressions
- On request
- Expected nominations
- On request
- Expected entrants
- On request
- Finalists
- On request
- Partner organisations
- On request
- Media partners
- On request
Figures marked “On request” are confirmed with partners individually — we only publish numbers we can substantiate.
Four levels, built around you
Every package is assembled from the same menu — the level sets how much of it you take and how prominently your name sits on the night.
Supporter
Under £500
Attendance and networking access.
Professional
£500 – £1,999
Branding and premium seating.
Strategic
£2,000 – £4,999
Enhanced visibility and corporate hospitality.
Headline
£10,000+
Title sponsorship and full brand integration.
A package can include
Headline or category sponsorship
Speaking slot or award presentation on stage
VIP table and corporate hospitality
Branding across the campaign, site and ceremony
Media, advertising and programme inclusion
Year-round association beyond the night itself
Sponsorship is subject to availability and written agreement.
Headline Partner
The highest commercial position
Founding Partners
High-level, year-one association
Theme Partners
Own one of the four themes
Category Partners
Own an award category
Experience Partners
Own a moment of the night
Media & Community Partners
Content, amplification & the network
What do you want to achieve?
Tell us the outcome you’re after — and we build the partnership around it. Assets follow objectives, not the other way around.
Sponsor an outcome — not a logo
Tell us what you want to achieve and we build the partnership around it. Every asset is matched to your goal.
Brand
“I want South Wales businesses to know who we are.”
Headline or theme naming, logo across the campaign, on-screen and stage branding, programme features.
Leads
“I want conversations with business owners.”
VIP tables and hospitality, curated introductions, exhibition space and networking access.
Authority
“I want our company positioned as an expert.”
Speaking slots, a judging seat, panels, thought-leadership content and awarding moments on stage.
Community
“We want to demonstrate our commitment to South Wales.”
Community or theme partnership, category association and local-champion positioning all year.
Recruitment
“We want South Wales’s best employers and professionals to know us.”
Employer-brand visibility to 600+ businesses, talent-facing category association and on-night presence.
Sales
“We want to generate commercial opportunities.”
Exhibition and showcase space, live demos, buyer introductions, database reach and year-round exposure.
Inventory, not adjectives
Not “great exposure” — a menu of tangible, deliverable assets across the whole campaign. Your package is drawn from this list and scales with your partnership level.
Before the event
- Sponsor profile in the awards programme
- Inclusion in the email campaign to our database
- Dedicated social posts across our channels
- A dedicated sponsor profile on the website
- Logo & mention in nominee communications
- Exposure in the WhatsApp community
- A content feature or interview
- A webinar or panel opportunity
During the event
- Stage branding on the night
- Exhibition / showcase space
- A VIP table with premium hospitality
- A speaking opportunity
- Presenting an award on stage
- Curated delegate introductions
- Professional event photography featuring your brand
- An on-site video interview
After the event
- Co-branded winner content
- A post-event sponsor interview
- Inclusion in the highlight video
- Press & PR coverage
- Database follow-up (where consent permits)
- Presence in winner communications
- Continued year-round digital recognition
A rung for every ambition
From entry-level association to the headline position. No fixed packages — every partnership is bespoke and priced to the assets and objectives it carries.
- 1
Supporter
Entry-level association
- 2
Community Partner
Community visibility, all year
- 3
Award Category Partner
Own one award category
- 4
Theme Partner
Own one of the four themes
- 5
Experience Partner
Drinks, dinner, stage, VIP or entertainment
- 6
Media Partner
Content and amplification
- 7
Strategic Partner
Campaign-wide involvement
- 8
Founding Partner
High-level, year-one association
- 9
Headline Partner
The highest commercial position
Working Women Awards — presented in partnership with your brand
Presenting-partner billing on a whole theme commands considerably more than sponsoring a single award — and puts your name on every mention of that theme, all year.
More than sponsorship
A whole surface of ways to be part of the platform — and for the community to do business, all year round.
Sponsors & Partners
Headline, theme, category, experience, media and community partnerships across the year.
Exhibitors & Showcases
Stands, showcase areas and live demos that put businesses in front of buyers.
Speakers & Panels
Thought-leadership slots, panels and stage moments for experts and leaders.
Tables & Hospitality
VIP tables, corporate hospitality and premium seating at the gala.
Suppliers & Delivery Partners
Venue, production, catering, print, film and creative — the supply chain behind the programme.
Community Membership
Year-round membership of the South Wales Business Community — the WhatsApp network and database.
Media & Content Partners
Co-branded content, coverage and amplification across the whole campaign.
Year-Round Commercial Opportunities
Introductions, referrals and B2B Growth Hub services and events beyond the awards.
The channels carrying your name
Email campaign
Regular emails to the business database and nominee list.
Social media
Ongoing content — nominee spotlights, announcements and countdowns.
Website
Featured placement across the site and entrant communications.
WhatsApp community
Direct exposure inside the live South Wales Business Community.
What a partnership actually returns
Months, not minutes
Value accrues across a 6–12 month campaign, not a single evening.
Qualified relationships
Introductions, hospitality and a room of decision-makers — not passive impressions.
A compounding asset
The flywheel means your association grows more valuable as the community grows.
Measurable deliverables
A defined inventory of assets you can point to — and measure.
Or start from a blank sheet
Pick your objective
Brand, leads, authority, community, recruitment or sales.
Choose your position
Headline, founding, theme, category, experience or media & community.
We build it
A bespoke package of inventory, priced to your goals and budget.
Reach the room without a package
Advertising placements put your brand in front of the same 600+ guests, at a fraction of a sponsorship commitment.
Event programme
Full-page and half-page placements in the programme every guest is handed on arrival.
On-screen & stage branding
Your brand on the ceremony screens between categories, in front of the whole room.
Website feature
A featured listing on the awards site for the length of the campaign.
Sponsored social & press
Named inclusion in social posts and press activity around the shortlist and winners.
The platform behind the night
A year-round programme
A 6–12 month calendar — launch, category showcases, networking, exhibitions, finalist reveals and the gala. Not one night.
A live community
A WhatsApp community and business database connecting South Wales businesses all year — the network a partnership reaches.
Exhibitions & showcases
Dedicated showcase and exhibition infrastructure that puts businesses — and partners — in front of buyers.
Four themes, 148+ categories
A structured awards taxonomy spanning every sector and every kind of excellence.
A marketing engine
Email, social, web and press channels that carry the programme — and your brand — across the whole campaign.
Backed by B2B Growth Hub
Part of a wider business-growth operation of events, advisory and services — infrastructure, not improvisation.
What makes ours different
Where a typical awards is one evening, ours is a year-round platform: the community, the database, the showcases and the programme are the product — the gala is the climax. That is the infrastructure a partnership actually plugs into.
Full organiser credentials, references, past-event photography and our partner and media list are available to serious partners on request.
Talk to the team
Enquiries
hello@southwalesawards.com
Telephone
+44 20 3451 7166
Office
Level 18, 40 Bank Street, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5AB, United Kingdom
Ceremony venue
Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff CF11 8AZ, United Kingdom
South Wales Awards is a trading style of B2B Growth Hub Limited Copyright © 2026 All Rights Reserved