Female entrepreneurs have until 16th June 2025 to submit their entries to the UK’s longest-running recognition programme for women in business, which spotlights Britain’s most inspirational female entrepreneurs from all ages, backgrounds, and corners of the UK.

Born from a mission to celebrate incredible women and open doors to funding, growth opportunities, and valuable connections, these awards have become a life-changing springboard for countless female entrepreneurs since their inception in 2003.

Past finalists and winners have used the awards as a stepping stone to increase their profile, build partnerships, and secure successful commercial deals. 

Despite the enormous progress made in the intervening years, the funding gap and lack of female role models remain an enduring barrier to women starting and growing their businesses. Only 2.8p of every £1 of equity investment in the UK goes to fully female-founded businesses. Meanwhile, just 6% of high-growth enterprises are wholly or majority-led by women.

everywoman remains at the forefront of the drive to change these statistics, working with government, industry bodies and the corporate sector to accelerate the rate of progress and remove the barriers to women accessing funding, growth and scaling opportunities.

The everywoman Entrepreneur Award winners will be announced on 2nd December at The Londoner, Leicester Square.

Viviane Paxinos, CEO at everywoman, comments: “For more than two decades, the everywoman Entrepreneur Awards have provided a platform to celebrate and champion women in business. However, they do more than celebrate success; they ignite it. By amplifying the incredible stories of female entrepreneurs, we’re not just recognising achievement, we’re creating a powerful ripple effect that inspires the next generation of female founders.”

Maxine Benson MBE, and Karen Gill MBE, Co-Founders of everywoman, comment: “everywoman creates a space where women can connect, inspire and lift each other up. Over the years, we've witnessed countless women forge transformative partnerships, secure major funding and strike game-changing commercial deals through connections made here. In an ecosystem where women founders still face tremendous hurdles accessing venture capital, these relationships can be the difference between stagnation and growth."

The judging panel is composed of some of the UK’s most successful women in business, alongside VCs and investors who are actively working to close the funding gap through their diverse portfolios. Judges in 2024 included Chrissie Rucker OBE, Founder of The White Company, Mandy Nyarko MBE, Co-Founder of The Discovery School, and Connie Nam, Founder of Astrid and Miyu, among many other business leaders from a wide range of entrepreneurial backgrounds and companies. BGF is sponsoring the awards for the fourth consecutive year.

Andy Gregory, CEO of BGF, comments: “BGF is proud to continue to support the everywoman Entrepreneur Awards, which recognise the exceptional contribution of female founders across the UK and Ireland. BGF has been the most active institutional investor in female powered scaleups over the last five years, investing more than £500 million across these businesses. We look forward once again to celebrating female entrepreneurial talent here in the UK.”

The 2025 categories are:

• The Balance Award: awarded to a woman who founded her business whilst raising a  child/children aged 12 or under
• Brand of the Future: sponsored by The White Company: awarded to the female founder that has recognised a real gap in the market and demonstrates great potential for growth. The winner will receive a mentoring session with founder Chrissie Rucker OBE, and the CEO and other Directors within the business
• Entrepreneur for Good Award: sponsored by Specsavers: awarded to a woman who has founded a business that contributes to the greater good in some way, whether this is through a social enterprise, diversity and inclusion, a focus on sustainability, or any other area of impact
• International Expansion Award: sponsored by Rathbone Financial Planning: awarded to a female founder who has successfully expanded her product/service to a new geographic market
• The Next Level Award: awarded to a female founder who has a highly profitable business (above £1,000,000 EBITDA)
• Scale Up Award: sponsored by BGF: celebrates a woman who has founded a company in a period of high growth
• Social Star Award: awarded to a woman who has significantly grown or launched her business using predominantly the power of social media
• Solopreneur Award: awarded to a woman running a business as an independent sole trader
• Small Enterprise Award: this award celebrates an inspiring woman who has founded a profitable business with less than 25 employees
• Tech Innovator Award: this award recognises a woman who is creating innovative tech which is creating change within industry

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