The Mayor of the County of Cork is encouraging businesses of all sizes and sectors to enter the inaugural Cork County Council ‘Best in Cork’ Awards. The awards aim to recognise the vital contributions businesses and tourism providers make to the county, while acknowledging the efforts being made to promote a sustainable future.
The Best in Cork Awards will celebrate the resilience and innovative nature of businesses in County Cork. They are free to enter and applications are now open. The finalists will be chosen from across the county by an independent panel of judges.
There is a strong focus on sustainability across all award categories. A key consideration for the judges will be the measures businesses have introduced to save energy, reduce waste and become more environmentally conscious.
The awards will culminate with a gala ceremony at Vertigo, Cork County Hall on Thursday, January 25th when Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr. Frank O’Flynn will announce the Mayor’s Best Overall Business.
Mayor Flynn said, “businesses are the lifeblood of our towns, villages and communities in County Cork providing vital jobs, services and products. There are incredible businesses with fascinating stories waiting to be told and we want to celebrate them. We’re looking for businesses of all sizes to enter whether you’re a sole trader, a family business that’s been in operation for generations, a brand new business or a large multinational. Each one is in the running to be crowned ‘Mayor of the County of Cork’s Best Overall Business’. Together, all of these businesses make our county such an incredible place to live, work and to visit.”
The awards are divided into different categories:
- Best Start-Up (established within past 2 years)
- Best Small Business (less than 10 staff)
- Best Medium Size Business (less than 80 staff)
- Best Large Business (over 80 staff)
- Best Connection to Community
- Best Green Innovation (Business)
- Best Green Innovation (Tourism)
- Best Tourist Attraction (Free admission)
- Best Tourist Attraction (Admission charge)
The Mayor of the County of Cork will select the Best Overall Business from among the nine category winners at the awards ceremony. There will also be divisional awards for Best Start-Up, Best Small, Medium and Large Size Business. The winners in each of the divisions of North Cork, West Cork and East Cork will be announced at special lunches in December.
Chief Executive of Cork County Council, Tim Lucey added, “these awards represent a fantastic opportunity to showcase the wonderful array of enterprises that contribute to life in Cork County. Through our own work, our teams know just how much these people give to their operations, their communities and the efforts they are making to ensure their businesses are as sustainable as possible. We’re proud to launch a programme that will reward that and raise their profile even more. One lucky winner will get the chance to say they’re the first ever ‘Mayor of the County of Cork’s Best Overall Business’ and celebrate with their peers in the business community.”
The deadline for businesses to submit an application for Best Start-Up, Best Small, Best Medium and Best Large Business is 5.00pm on Sunday, October 15th. Entries for the remaining categories will be accepted until Sunday, November 12th.
Source: Cork County Council
