The Queen's Awards for Enterprise are the most prestigious gongs for British businesses and have been handed out every year since 1966.
They are given to companies from across the country who excel at international trade, innovation, sustainable development or promoting opportunity through social mobility.
The awards this year are due to be announced on Thursday, April 21.
Here, BusinessLive delves into the history of the awards and explains how companies can apply - and which firms are among the previous winners.
The awards' origins
The scheme was established as The Queen's Award to Industry by a royal warrant of November 30, 1965.
Individual categories have been known in the past as The Queen's Awards for Export, Export Achievement, Technology, Technological Achievement and Environmental Achievement.
The first awards were handed out in 1966 and are presented by the Queen on behalf of the Prime Minister of the day.
The awards became the Queen's Awards for Export and Technology in 1975, with Environmental Achievement added in 1992.
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In 1999, they became the Queen's Awards for Enterprise with International Trade, Innovation and Sustainable Development as the categories.
In 2017, a fourth category was introduced, Promoting Opportunity (through social mobility).
From 2005 to 2017, individuals were also recognised with the Queen's Award for Enterprise Promotion.
What happens if a company wins
If a business wins, directors are invited to a Royal reception and presented with the award at their company by one of The Queen’s representatives, a Lord-Lieutenant.
They business is also able to fly The Queen’s Awards flag at their main office and use the emblem on their marketing materials such as packaging, advertisements, stationery and website.
The company is also given a Grant of Appointment, an official certificate, and a commemorative crystal trophy.
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The awards are valid for five years.
How a company is eligible
To apply for the Queen’s Award for Enterprise an organisation must be based in the 海角视频, including the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, and file its company tax returns with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
It must also be a self-contained enterprise that markets its own products or services and is under its own management, have at least two full-time 海角视频 employees or part-time equivalents and "demonstrate strong corporate social responsibility"
Organisation can be a business or non-profit while each of the award categories has additional entry criteria.
For the international trade category, a company must also have made a minimum of £100,000 in overseas sales in the first year of their entry and show year-on-year growth, prove that it has achieved outstanding growth in overseas earnings relative to its business size and sector and prove steep year-on-year growth without dips in overseas sales more than three years - or substantial year-on-year growth over six years.
For innovation, a business must also have an innovation that has not been sold before, have had it available on the market for at least two years and have recovered all the investments made in the innovation or show that it will recover its full costs in future.
A business must also show "outstanding commercial success" as a result of innovation over two years - or "continuous commercial success" over five years
An innovation should be in a category such as invention, design or production of goods, performance of service, marketing and distribution or after-sale support of goods or services.
For the sustainable development award, businesses must also show how they have achieved outstanding sustainable development for more than two years and provide evidence of the benefits or positive outcomes of their actions or interventions.
For the final category, p romoting opportunity through social mobility, an organisation must also have supported people from disadvantaged backgrounds in improving their job skills and their chances of finding work.
This includes doing one or more of providing work experience or careers advice, mentoring, offering interview and job-related training and making sure recruitment processes are open to everyone, for at least two years.
Businesses also have to prove the benefits for the people it has supported, the organisation, employees and the wider community.
Applying
The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are free to enter and businesses can apply for more than one award.
Companies were able to apply for the Queen’s Awards 2022 from May 1 until September 22, 2021.
The winners will be announced on Thursday, April 21, 2022.