North East female entrepreneurs are being urged to enter the region’s major annual awards for women, which is now in its 11th year.

North East female entrepreneurs are being urged to enter the region’s major annual awards for women, which is now in its 11th year.

Women into the Network (WIN) kicked off its launch events for its North East Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in Durham, Teesside and Newcastle last week for women to find out more about the entry process and be inspired by previous winners.

Nickie Gott, a past winner of the prestigious Susan Dobson Award inspired entrants by telling her story. She said:

“Winning the award raised the profile of She’s Gott It and helped open a lot of doors for us. The award gave me a tremendous amount of inner confidence and I continued to become third in the country as Entrepreneur of the year!

“To all of the women out there if you have any doubts about entering yourself – DON’T! Even filling out the application form and looking at everything you have done on paper gives you a sense of pride!”

WIN’s North East Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Awards celebrate the achievements of women of all ages and reach out to companies new and old alike, encompassing a wide range of services, and entry is now open ahead of the awards presentation and dinner later this year.

Categories for the 2010 awards are:

• The Susan Dobson Award for Entrepreneurship
• Best New Business
• Young Entrepreneur of the Year
• Best Small Business
• Best Social Enterprise
• Best Creative Business
• Best Home Based Business
• Best use of Technology
• Best Rural Business
• Best Retail Business

Di Gates, Chair of the WIN board, said: “If you run a business in any sector, of any size, shape or turnover, we want to hear your story. It doesn’t matter if you’ve just started or you’ve been trading for years, there’s a category for you – and entering couldn’t be easier.

“Simply visit www.womenintothenetwork.co.uk and complete the online form to enter yourself or nominate a friend or colleague. If you need a boost of confidence or inspiration you’ll also find it on the website, with stories from previous winners.

“A WIN Award is a major accolade that could really open doors for your business – so please don’t be shy, or put off your entry until next year. Just remember, you’ve got to be in it to WIN it!”

Any woman who operates or owns an enterprise in the North East can enter. You can put forward yourself, a friend or colleague. Entrants must head up an independent organisation and be the main driving force behind it, whether it’s a business or a social enterprise.

WIN will be running surgeries over the next few months to help women complete their applications and a telephone helpline is also available on 0845 2699862. Rules of entry, judging criteria and entry forms can be found at www.womenintothenetwork.co.uk.

The closing date for entries is 5pm on Saturday, September 18 ahead of the shortlisting of nominations on Tuesday, September 28 and the presentation and dinner on Friday, November 19.

Tickets for the North East Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Awards evening, at the Hilton Newcastle Gateshead, are available from the WIN website.