Prestigious awards return for their third year in support of local excellence
The time has come again to celebrate the brilliant businesses of Gosport.
Today sees the launch of the Gosport Business Awards 2026 which is back with a bang for its third year.
Celebrating all that is good across the borough, the exciting initiative is once more being run by The News in association with headline sponsors StandardAero UK and partners St Vincent Sixth Form College, Gosport Borough Council and the Powder Monkey Group.
This year we will be looking for booming businesses to emulate the success of last year’s awards which saw Montserrat Events walk away with the crown of overall winner with Wickham Micro Limited, RE5customs,The Book Shop, Lipspeaker UK, Gosport Community Hub and Smart Studies taking top spots in their categories.
Simon Jones, Managing Director of StandardAero UK - the Fleetlands-based global aviation maintenance and repair hub - said: ‘We are pleased to support the annual Gosport Business Awards for the third year running as headline sponsor.
‘Supporting local businesses and celebrating their achievements is an important part of our commitment to the Gosport community. We’re proud to help shine a light on the businesses, people and organisations that make Gosport such a great place to live, work and do business.’
The awards are free to enter for businesses across the borough and have been extended to 10 categories. The winners - including one overall champion - will be unveiled at a celebration evening at the college's Jervis Gallery on Thursday, November 26, with catering again provided by Power Monkey.
With small businesses accounting for 98% of all businesses in Gosport, more opportunities have been created this year for local enterprises to be recognised, with the hotly-contested Independent Small Business of the Year award divided into three categories for those businesses with less than 10 employees.
The categories are:
- Independent Small Business of the Year for:
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- Retail, hospitality and consumer-facing
- Personal care, lifestyle and community
- Creative, technical and professional
- Commitment to Supporting Talent in Business
- Business Start-up Business of the Year
- Independent Retail Business of the Year
- Community Contribution Award
- Independent Cultural and Creativity Business of the Year
- Independent Tourism/Hospitality Business of the Year
- Overall Business Award (selected from winners of the above)
For more details and to enter go to https://www.gosport.gov.uk/GosportBusinessAwards
In launching the awards, Councillor Kevin Casey, chair of the council’s economic regeneration and skills board, said: ‘Our priority is to create more jobs and opportunities for local people and welcome more investment in our borough's economy. We're particularly pleased that this year's awards spotlight the small businesses at the heart of our local economy - they make up 98% of all businesses in Gosport. This is a wonderful opportunity to highlight their passion, dedication and entrepreneurial spirit.’
Andy Grant, Executive Principal of St Vincent Sixth Form College, added’ We are thrilled to once again be hosting the Gosport Business Awards. The event has grown in attendance, prestige and importance in recent years and as the local post-16 sixth form college for the Gosport community, we rely on the support and opportunities that local employers provide our students when they leave college to access career and work related learning pathways.
‘We consider it a privilege to host the event and provide a platform which showcases all of the wonderful work and success of the local businesses that shape our community. We wish all of the nominees well and look forward to seeing them all at the event.’
If you are interested in supporting the continued success of the awards as a sponsor you can learn more about opportunities by emailing [email protected]
More chances of winning unveiled as the Gosport Business awards 2026 are launched
