There are nine categories in this year’s Scotland awards and applicants can enter as many categories as they choose. Click on the “Criteria” button under each award to find category-specific criteria. If you have an accessibility question or wish to access the application form in a different way please contact awards@socialenterprise.scot
Category 1 – Social Enterprise of the Year Scotland
Gold sponsor: Keegan & Pennykid
A social enterprise that has been operating for more than 2 years that can evidence the criteria below and that has also demonstrated and promoted social enterprise beyond the sector.
- Excellent vision and strategic direction
- Clear leadership and management of the organisation
- A high degree of customer satisfaction
- A clearly evidenced social, environmental and community impact
- Show sustainability in terms of profit and growth, or resilience in response to challenging trading conditions
- Good brand awareness and communication outputs
- Evidence of creativity and innovation
- Commitment to holistic impact beyond the core social/environmental mission, including tackling climate change and promoting diversity and inclusion
Category 2 – One to Watch
Sponsor – Bold Studio
A social enterprise that has been operating less than 2 years as of April 2023, that can clearly demonstrate the criteria below and articulate their future vision and how they are going to achieve it showing growth in their model.
- A clear vision for the social enterprise
- A creative approach to problem-solving
- Excellence in impact, design or growth since inception
- Potential for future success, in the judges’ view
- Commitment to holistic impact beyond the core social/environmental mission, including tackling climate change and promoting diversity and inclusion
Category 3 – Environmental Social Enterprise
Sponsor – Circular Communities Scotland
This is open to social enterprises that have been operating for more than 2 years in the green and environmental sectors that can demonstrate excellence in the following criteria.
- A clear evidenced environmental impact
- Excellent vision and strategic direction
- Clear leadership and management of the organisation
- A high degree of customer satisfaction
- Show sustainability in terms of profit and growth or resilience in response to challenging trading conditions
- Good brand awareness and communication outputs
- Commitment to holistic impact beyond the core social/environmental mission, including promoting diversity and inclusion
Category 4 – Building Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Justice
Silver sponsor: Social Investment Scotland
Social justice is fundamental to the social enterprise movement. This category is open to social enterprises who are addressing issues around diversity, inclusion and equity.
- Clearly articulates their organisation’s contribution to building inclusion within their field of work
- Demonstrates impact made within their target community and/or for their target beneficiaries
- Proven leadership by widely promoting diversity, inclusion, equity and justice
- Inspires and/or supports other organisations to improve their commitments to diversity, inclusion, equity and justice
- Evidence how their social enterprise challenges inequalities
- Commitment to holistic impact beyond the core social/environmental mission, including tackling climate change
Category 5 – Health and Social Care
Gold sponsor: The ALLIANCE – Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland
This is open to social enterprises that have been operating for more than 2 years and deliver high quality health and social care work. This award can include mental health and well-being.
- Clearly evidenced health and care impacts
- Excellent vision and strategic direction
- Clear leadership and management of the organisation
- A high degree of customer/user satisfaction
- Show sustainability in terms of profit and growth or resilience in response to challenging operating conditions
- Good brand awareness and communication outputs
- Commitment to holistic impact beyond the core social/environmental mission, including tackling climate change and promoting diversity and inclusion
Category 6 – Tech for Good
Silver Sponsor: Breeze Digital (Breeze is a social enterprise and part of the Community Enterprise Group)
This award recognises a social enterprise that uses technology to achieve social impact – in either of the following ways:
- Usage of new technology to develop new products and services
OR
- Usage of new technology in the core business model to enhance service delivery
- Demonstrates clear evidence of the impact new technology has made to the organisation and/or their beneficiaries and community
- Excellent vision and strategic direction
- Clear leadership and management of the organisation
- A high degree of customer satisfaction
- Show sustainability in terms of profit and growth or resilience in response to challenging operating conditions
- Commitment to holistic impact beyond the core social/environmental mission, including tackling climate change and promoting diversity and inclusion
Category 7 – ‘Buy Social’ – Market Builder
Sponsor – Social Enterprise Academy
Any social enterprise, support organisation, third, public or private sector organisation that has demonstrably made efforts within its own organisation and remit to create more opportunities to buy from social enterprises. This could be a Social Enterprise Network initiative to open markets for social enterprise, a local authority implementing a council-wide social enterprise strategy, a company showing innovation in its procurement and supply chain processes, or a social enterprise seeking to support the movement through buying social.
- Describe how their work has promoted social enterprises
- Explain the steps taken to open up opportunities to increase the revenue and reach of social enterprises
- Explain their key aims and objectives in supporting ‘buy social’ in their work
- Explain the challenges that had to be overcome and how that was achieved
- Articulate any progress on spend / impact to date
Category 8 – Social Enterprise Employee Champion
This award recognises an individual working in a social enterprise.
- Goes above and beyond to make a difference.
- Inspires and supports others to give their best.
- Demonstrates a commitment to the values of their organisation.
- Exhibits initiative and drive.
Category 9 – Social Enterprise Volunteer Champion
Sponsor – Volunteer Scotland
This award recognises an individual volunteering in a social enterprise.
- Goes above and beyond to make a difference.
- Inspires and supports others to give their best.
- Demonstrates a commitment to the values of their organisation.
- Exhibits initiative and drive.