A new host has been announced for the Lincolnshire Live Business Awards 2019

The awards are now in their 16th year and see firms up and down the county battling to secure a gong across 15 categories, covering several different areas.

They aim to shine a spotlight on apprentices and employees, as well as small family-run operations and larger companies to name just a few.

This year there will be a new host for the event, magician and comedian Ben Hanlin.

Ben is a British magician, television presenter and radio presenter and is best known for presenting the ITV 2 series Tricked since 2013.

He has made a name for himself by tricking unsuspecting members of the public and shocking celebrities with his own brand of magic.

The magician has also performed tricks on a number of celebrities including Kim Kardashian, Sharon Osbourne, Anthony Joshua and Gary Barlow.

At the awards all the winners on the night from each award will then be put forward for the prestigious Business of the Year Overall Winner gong, which is given to the business that our team of dedicated judges feels is the most deserving.

Orderwise were the winners of the Business of the Year award last year, as well as the Innovation Award, and said that the accolade gave them good local exposure and really helped to motivate staff.

They said: "Last year we picked up the Business of the Year and Innovation awards, we were over the moon to have been recognised for our efforts, especially as there are some truly fantastic businesses in Lincolnshire and we were up against some stiff competition.

"Being recognised for our achievements helps to reaffirm our credibility and motivate employees. Winning awards signals to your staff that their hard work is paying off and increases the feeling of pride in the company, which improves staff retention and attracts new talent.

"We’ve found that they have also helped us to strengthen our relationships with suppliers as well as with customers."

"Awards like the Lincolnshire Media Business Awards are a good thing as they help you to make sure you take time out from day-to-day business operations to reflect on what the company has achieved.

"It is a momentous and sometimes emotional experience – we are proud of our achievements and of the staff who have helped us get to where we are today."

Owner of Neat as Nine Pins Jo Cottingham took home the start-up of the year award last year with her cleaning business and since then she said it has really took off.

She said: "We've expanded a lot since last year, we have taken on more cleaning ladies and in February we bought a dry cleaners.

"So now we offer the full package from cleaning, laundry and ironing. Since we won the award we have had a lot more people interested.

"People know about us and we have had much more recognition and publicity since then, which is fantastic.

"I applied about five minutes before the deadline closed at midnight as sort of a throw away thing and I didn't think I would get anywhere.

"I thought that my business was successful so I thought that someone else may think that it was too.

"I just think you've got to believe in what you've got and be passionate about it and you never know what could happen."

Do you think your business or a business you work with deserves recognition? Entries are now open, with the final date for entries being September 1.

Winners will then be invited to an awards ceremony on Thursday, October 17, where the awards will be handed out.

To enter, visit www.lincsbusinessawards.co.uk

The full list of categories is as follows:  

APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR - sponsored by Oldrids & Downtown

BEST DIGITAL CAMPAIGN

BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR - sponsored by Wilkin Chapman LLP Solicitors

EDUCATION, TRAINING AND SKILLS AWARD - sponsored by University of Lincoln

EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR - sponsored by Barbon Insurance Group

EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR - sponsored by Siemens,

FAMILY BUSINESS AWARD - sponsored by Micronclean

FOOD, FARMING AND EXCELLENCE AWARD - sponsored by L J Fairburn & Son

HEART OF THE COMMUNITY AWARD - sponsored by Static Security Services 

INNOVATION AWARD - sponsored by the Innovation Programme for Greater Lincolnshire

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS AWARD - sponsored by Streets Charted Accountants

LARGE LINCOLNSHIRE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR - sponsored by Lincolnshire County Council

MEDIUM LINCOLNSHIRE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR - sponsored by Bright Media

SMALL LINCOLNSHIRE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR - sponsored by Visiondrive,

START-UP BUSINESS OF THE YEAR - sponsored by Bishop Grosseteste University

BUSINESS OF THE YEAR OVERALL WINNER - sponsored by NatWest

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD