The search is on for Worcestershire and the West Midlands’ most outstanding small businesses and self-employed.

The FSB Celebrating Small Business Awards 2019 open today (Friday, August 10) and small businesses and the self-employed in Worcestershire the wider West Midlands are being urged to enter before the closing date of January 4, 2019.

The West Midlands winners will be announced at an award ceremony on Friday, February 15, at the Forest of Arden Marriott hotel in Solihull.

The awards, run by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), will recognise and celebrate the best of the West Midlands and UK small businesses and the vast contribution they make to both regional and national economies and to local communities.

Eleven award category winners, from digital innovation to family business and from internatonal business to employer of the year, will be then go forward to the UK final of the FSB Celebrating Small Business Awards, held at Battersea Evolution, London, on 23 May 2019. Here, as well as UK category winners, the FSB Small Business of the Year 2019 will be announced.

Ray Hickinbottom, FSB West Midlands’ regional chairman, said: “For a chance to be recognised as the best small business in the West Midlands as well as in the whole UK, I’d encourage all small businesses to enter the FSB Celebrating Small Business Awards.

"SMEs are a vital part of the West Midlands – contributing so much to the economy and making our region a more exciting place in which to live, work, study and visit.”

The 11 FSB Celebrating Small Business Awards area categories are: International Business of the Year

Ethical and Green Business of the Year

Business and Product Innovation Award

Digital Innovation of the Year

Micro Business of the Year

Start-Up Business of the Year

Scale-Up Business of the Year

Family Business of the Year

Young Entrepreneur of the Year (aged 30 and under)

Employer of the Year

Community Award (area level only)

For further information and to enter the awards, visit fsbawards.co.uk